This plaster cast sculpture of Moses by Michelangelo is located in the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum in Springfield, MA. The 1515 work is a copy of a marble original that Michelangelo sculpted for the tomb of Julius II.
Wikipedia (
visit link) informs us:
"Moses ... was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the Qur'an, and Baha'i scripture, a religious leader, lawgiver, and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed. Also called Moshe Rabbenu in Hebrew ...he is the most important prophet in Judaism; he is also an important prophet in Christianity and Islam, as well as a number of other faiths.
The existence of Moses as well as the veracity of the Exodus story are disputed amongst archaeologists and Egyptologists, with experts in the field of biblical criticism citing logical inconsistencies, new archaeological evidence, historical evidence, and related origin myths in Canaanite culture. Other historians maintain that the biographical details and Egyptian background attributed to Moses imply the existence of an historical political and religious leader who was involved in the consolidation of the Hebrew tribes in Canaan towards the end of the Bronze Age.
According to the Book of Exodus, Moses was born in a time when his people, the Children of Israel, were increasing in numbers and the Egyptian Pharaoh was worried that they might help Egypt's enemies. Moses' Hebrew mother, Jochebed, hid him when the Pharaoh ordered all newborn Hebrew boys to be killed, and the child was adopted as a foundling by the Egyptian royal family. After killing an Egyptian slavemaster, Moses fled across the Red Sea to Midian, where he encountered the God of Israel in the form of a "burning bush".
God sent Moses back to Egypt to request the release of the Israelites. After the Ten Plagues, Moses led the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, after which they based themselves at Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments. After 40 years of wandering in the desert, Moses died within sight of the Promised Land.
Rabbinical Judaism calculated a lifespan of Moses corresponding to 1391–1271 BCE; Jerome gives 1592, and Ussher 1619 as birthyear.
Moses and the tablets of law
Although considered a messenger of God, Moses had difficulties with speech, which is documented in the Torah. Because of this, Aaron (the brother of Moses) would often do the talking for him."
Note that the Wikipedia article has a photo of what would appear to be another sculpture based on this cast..it is located at the Basilica San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome.