The Mother of Moses
Date1860 (first exhibited 1860; undated)
Artist
Simeon Solomon
(British painter, 1840–1905)
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions24 × 19 7/8 in. (61 × 50.5 cm)
frame: 36 5/8 × 32 (93 × 81.3 cm)
frame: 36 5/8 × 32 (93 × 81.3 cm)
Credit LineBequest of Robert Louis Isaacson, 1999
Object number1999-1
On View
On viewCollections
ClassificationsPAINTING
Label TextFilled with archaeologically accurate objects, this painting presents an emotional scene from the Bible’s Book of Exodus. The family group includes baby Moses, his mother, Jochebed, and his sister, Miriam. The model for both women was Fanny Eaton, a woman of color born in Jamaica. The basket held by Miriam is the cradle that the baby will be placed in for his trip down the Nile. The pyramid, faintly visible through the window, situates this scene in ancient Egypt. Like Moses, Simeon Solomon lived among people who did not share his religion. Due to his Jewish faith and his homosexuality, the artist spent the latter part of his career largely shunned by the Victorian art world. 
