Bartholomeus Breenbergh

Bartholomeus Breenbergh painted the Roman Campagna as a stage for Bible stories and myths: crumbling ruins, arches and temples lit by warm southern light, with small figures acting out scenes such as the Finding of Moses. His light-filled ruin landscapes helped form the Dutch Italianate style.

Born in Deventer in 1598, he trained in Amsterdam and went to Rome around 1619, staying until about 1630. There he was a founding member of the Bentvueghels, nicknamed the Ferret, and was influenced by Paul Bril and Cornelis van Poelenburgh, whose pictures can be hard to tell from his. His work in turn influenced the young Claude Lorrain. Back in Amsterdam he painted and etched Italian buildings and biblical subjects until his death in 1657.

In Landscape with the Finding of Moses, the ruins are as much the subject as the story.