The Finding of Moses

The story is set in ancient Egypt. Pharaoh's daughter comes down to the Nile and finds the baby Moses hidden among the reeds, saving the child who will one day lead his people out of slavery. Veronese, painting around 1580, dresses the whole scene as if it were happening in his own Venice. The princess wears a gold-and-white gown of the finest 16th-century silk, her ladies are done up like Venetian noblewomen, and a little lapdog and a distant city complete the fantasy. He clearly loved the subject. At least eight versions of it survive from him and his busy workshop. This one, largely from his own hand, has been in the museum at Dijon in France since 1812.