Jacopo Zanguidi, called Jacopo Bertoja
Moses with the Tablets of Law
Oil on canvas. 188 x 120 cm.
Signed and dated lower left: Ja. BER. FLOR FECIT. AN.15.
The present work depicts Moses on Mount Sinai with the tablets of the law. He is depicted in profile as a full-figure, holding one of the tablets in his hand. The other tablet is shown on the ground beside him and bears the artist's signature “Ja. BER. FLOR FECIT. AN.15.”.
The present work is a product of Jacopo Zanguidi, called Bertoja, active in the Emilia Romana in the Cinquecento (Bertoia; cf. expertise by Francesca Baldassari, 8.6.2014). Born in Parma as an artist's son, Bertoja owed his artistic career to the patronage and protection of the powerful and art-loving Farnese family. Ottavio Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza, provided his first commissions. A trip to Rome brought the artist into contact with his brother Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, and Bertoja also worked in the Villa Farnese in Caprarola as a follower of Federico Zuccaro. He was strongly influenced by Parmigianino and his trip to Rome also introduced him to the works of Raphael and Michelangelo. Michelangelo's influence is particularly evident in the monumentality of his figures.
Certificate
Francesca Baldassari, Florence, 8.6.2014.
Provenance
Formerly Collection of Heinrich von Drasche-Wartinberg. - Private ownership, Austria.