The Worship of the Golden Calf

This complex scene depicts a series of events as told in Exodus 32, with several vignettes carrying the main narrative from the middle into the background. In the center middle ground, the Israelites watch as the high priest Aaron collects golden ornaments for the making of an idol in the form of a golden calf, which he is shown casting in the far background. In the left background, the completed calf is displayed upon an altar, surrounded by worshippers; in the center right background are scenes of feasting and merrymaking. In the far upper right, a fiery light bathes the lower body of Moses on Mount Sinai as he receives the Ten Commandments. (The upper part of the canvas was cut at some point.) In the foreground, to the left and right, are richly dressed revelers and observers. The man at the far upper left looking out of the scene appears to be a portrait.

The overall composition is loosely based upon one of the last works produced by the Tintoretto studio during Jacopo’s lifetime (The Gathering of the Manna, 1592/1594). The similarities suggest that The Worship of the Golden Calf was painted in the Tintoretto studio around the time of Jacopo Tintoretto’s death in 1594, or possibly later, when the shop was headed by his son Domenico Tintoretto (Venetian, 1560 - 1635).

Credit: Samuel H. Kress Collection