Christian Köhler, German, 1809-1861

Provenance:
Ernst August-Fideikommiss 1855 Inv. Nr.. 749
Königliche Verwaltungs-Kommission 1891, p. 240, no. 93 (119), Provinzial-Museum, Hanover
Ernst August-Fideikommiss 1905 Inv. Nr. 97
Fideikommiss-Galerie 1905, p. 200, no. 93 (119), Povinzial-Museum, Hanover

Literature:
Justus Molthan, Verzeichniss der Bildhauerwerke und Gemälde welche sich in den Königlich Hannoverschen Schlössern und Gebäuden befinden (Catalogue of the Sculptures and Paintings in the Royal Hannovarian Castles), Hannover 1844, p. 130, no. 27 (Residenzschloss, Hanover)


Christian Köhler painted several versions of the Finding and Exposure of Moses, which are listed in Boetticher, Malerwerke des 19. Jahrhunderts,  I/2 (1895), no. 4-6 and 25. The scene shown here is the moment when Jochebed, Moses' mother, places him in the reed basket in order to send him on his way along the Nile. The girl with her watching out is Mirjam Moses' elder sister. She sees Pharao's daughter approaching in the background, who will shortly rescue Moses from the river.