Brazen Serpent, This painting is an arched panel that may have once been in a church's interior. This chaotic scene shows a narrative from the Book of Numbers chapter 21. After the Israelites become impatient and complain against the Lord, the Lord sends venomous snakes that kill people when they are bitten. The people repent and ask Moses to ask the Lord for relief. The Lord commands Moses to make a bronze snake, and to hold it up so that people can be healed when gaze at it. In this rendering of the scene, many people have been or are being bitten by snakes. They writhe on the ground in pain and suffering. In the central background, the relief of the bronze snake on a pole, here a cross-shaped pole, stands high above so they all can see and find relief. The composition's style, with the vibrant gestures and movement of the people, along with the bright style, and the flanking compositions all leading the eye toward the cross, show a Baroque influence or precursor to the movement. This is a basic record created to enable public access to scanned images. Full research on this image is pending.
- Contini-Volterra Photographic Archive | Florence (FLOR) | FLOR.5001-FLOR.11430 | Brazen Serpent, This painting is an arched panel that may have once been in a church's interior. This chaotic scene shows a narrative from the Book of Numbers chapter 21. After the Israelites become impatient and complain against the Lord, the Lord sends venomous snakes that kill people when they are bitten. The people repent and ask Moses to ask the Lord for relief. The Lord commands Moses to make a bronze snake, and to hold it up so that people can be healed when gaze at it. In this rendering of the scene, many people have been or are being bitten by snakes. They writhe on the ground in pain and suffering. In the central background, the relief of the bronze snake on a pole, here a cross-shaped pole, stands high above so they all can see and find relief. The composition's style, with the vibrant gestures and movement of the people, along with the bright style, and the flanking compositions all leading the eye toward the cross, show a Baroque influence or precursor to the movement. This is a basic record created to enable public access to scanned images. Full research on this image is pending., 1540-1546
Repository Details
Part of the Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives Repository
Special Collections Library
1101 19th Ave. S.
Nashville TN 37212 United States
specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu
About this Site
This site contains collection guides, or finding aids, to the archival collections held by Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives, the History of Medicine Collection, and the Scarritt Bennett Center. Finding aids describe the context, arrangement, and structure of archival materials, allowing users to identify and request materials relevant to their research.
Requesting Materials
Each finding aid contains a link to request materials from the collections. Collections can also be requested by emailing the repository directly through the library website. Each repository has its own location, hours, and contact information. Please consult the repository with questions about using the materials. Collections are non-circulating and must be used in the repository’s reading room. In many cases, the collections are stored off-site and require advance notice for retrieval.