Moses presenting the tablets of law 1532

Editor: So, this striking stained-glass window is "Moses presenting the tablets of law," created in 1532 by Valentin Bousch. It's currently housed here at the Met. The colours are really intense and the whole scene seems… well, quite theatrical. What catches your eye most when you look at it? Curator: The window is beautiful and striking, isn’t it? I find myself drawn to the artist’s inventive blend of the monumental and the intimate. There is Moses, yes, almost glowing as a moral figure. But he is not alone, there are subtle reactions of the onlookers that almost serve as a commentary. Do you notice it, too? Editor: I hadn't really thought about the figures surrounding Moses, more like seeing them as accessories or part of the set-up for the character, rather than real contributors of sentiment or expression. That seems obvious now you say it. So much conveyed through their reactions. It's almost like people are experiencing something different. Curator: Exactly. Bousch isn’t just depicting a historical moment; he's giving us a scene full of very unique emotions about leadership, obedience, skepticism… It's humanizing a story, it almost transforms stained glass into theatre. And what of the medium itself, you know… light coming through colors has, over the centuries, been thought of as something deeply transformational in itself… do you imagine the people, centuries ago, experienced this art very differently from our current museum experience? Editor: Definitely. It makes you think about what other layers we might be missing in our viewing, how we're separated from its original context. Considering how transformative this would have looked back then helps it be transformational today. Curator: I agree. Each era brings a new way of witnessing.