The Infant Moses before Pharaoh, after Giovanni Battista Ruggieri

Art Historical Context

In the intimate drawing *The Infant Moses before Pharaoh, after Giovanni Battista Ruggieri*, French artist Jean Robert Ango captures a pivotal biblical moment from the Book of Exodus. Here, the infant Moses—destined to lead the Israelites from slavery—is presented before Pharaoh, surrounded by figures including men, women, and the child himself. This scene, rich with tension and foreshadowing, reflects the enduring popularity of Old Testament narratives in European art, evoking themes of divine protection and royal power. Executed in black chalk with subtle framing lines in pen and brown ink, the work measures just 13.7 x 21.5 cm, suggesting it served as a personal study or collector's copy after an original by the 17th-century Italian painter Ruggieri. Black chalk, prized for its soft tonal range, allowed Ango to model forms with delicate shading, emphasizing the vulnerability of the swaddled infant against the imposing adult figures. Such techniques were common in academic drawing practices, bridging observation and imagination. A generous gift to the Metropolitan Museum of Art from Eugene Victor Thaw in 1961, this piece invites visitors to ponder how artists like Ango preserved and reinterpreted sacred stories through humble media, making grand history accessible on a small scale.