The Metal Serpent, Depiction of scene from the Old Testament (Numbers 21, 4-9). Upon God's command, Moses saves the Israelites from a plague of serpents by fashioning a bronze serpent on a pole. Whoever looked at the bronze serpent was healed., 1618-1620

Item — Box: 263

Identifier: spc-mss0088-s36-i0641

The Metal Serpent, Depiction of scene from the Old Testament (Numbers 21, 4-9). Upon God's command, Moses saves the Israelites from a plague of serpents by fashioning a bronze serpent on a pole. Whoever looked at the bronze serpent was healed.

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Scope and Contents

Vanderbilt photo identifier: SC.MSS.088.FLEM.0609; Public Notes: A very similar copy belongs to Sotheby's from the studio of Sir Anthony Van Dyck. Subtle differences and underprinting on "copy."

Dates

Creation: 1618-1620

Creator

Anthony Van Dyck (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection may be viewed only in the reading room of Special Collections in the Jean and Alexander Heard Library. Collections should be requested 2-3 days prior to visiting in order to facilitate easier access. For questions or to request a collection, contact specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu.

Biographical / Historical

Subjects: Old Testament; Snakes; Religious Subjects; Israelites; Bronze; Moses; Aaron; School: Flemish; Style period: Baroque; Technique: painting (technique); Work type: paintings

Full Extent

1 Items : Image Work Type: photographic print ; Image height (in.): 7.9; Image width (in.): 9.1in.

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Additional Description

Physical Description

Medium: oil paint; Physical condition: mounted; curling; yellowing; Print type: toned black and white; Support: canvas

General

Artist Status: confirmed; Inscription author: Unknown; Inscription original text: P.P. Rubens; Inscription original text type: false signature; Inscription position: Lower right; Inscription translation text type: