Moses 1408 - 1410

Lorenzo Monaco made this panel painting of Moses in the early 1400s, using tempera and gold leaf on wood. Tempera, made from pigment mixed with egg yolk, dries quickly to create a durable matte finish. Look closely and you’ll see that the gold background isn’t just flat color. It’s actually metal leaf applied painstakingly to the surface. The artist would have first prepared the wood panel with gesso, a mixture of animal glue and chalk, before layering on the tempera paint. The way that the light plays across the gold creates a divine radiance around Moses, who is holding the two tablets with the Ten Commandments. Producing an object like this required time, skill, and precious materials. The gold, in particular, would have been costly, reflecting the importance of the subject and the patron who commissioned the work. Thinking about the materials and methods used to create "Moses" helps us understand its original value and meaning, transcending the traditional boundaries between art and craft.