Dedit Dns Moysi in Monte Sinai duas tabulas testimonij lapideas | God gives the Tables of Law to Moses on Mount Sinai

Pietro Santi Bartoli's (1635-1700) engraving depicting simultaneously two biblical scenes described in the Book of Exodus (Exodus 31 and Exodus 34) is a reproduction of the lower right part of the bordure part of the composition The Sacrifice of the Lamb by Raphael Santi (1483-1520). On the left side of the board, Moses kneels on the flat stone summit of Mount Sinai and embraces a rectangular object handed to him by God, depicted as an old man hovering in a cloud over the vegetation growing on the mountain slope. The trees and shrubs growing between the boulders, pictured in the background of Moses, represent the successful outcome of the Israelites receiving the law. To the right of the board, Moses stands before the surprised and exultant descendants of Israel, men and women, showing them the Tablets of the Law received from God. This is the second board in the series of D. Nicolao Simonellio Picturae omniumq. Bonarum Artium Cultori eximio, which featured 15 engravings by Pietro Santi Bartoli, including a dedication page and 14 engravings based on a composition by Raphael Santi. The Niccolò Simonelli (1611-1671) mentioned in the title of the series, to whom the publisher, Giovanni Giacomo de Rossi (1627-1691) dedicated the works, was a dealer and art lover who was friends with many artists, including Salvator Rosa and Piero Francesco Mola. He offered advice on art to certain cardinals, including the nephew of Pope Alexander VII, Flavio Chigi (1631-1693). He was regarded as a truly influential figure in the art world in 17th-century Rome. Pietro Santi Bartoli was a painter, draughtsman, engraver and antiquarian. He studied under Pierre Lemaire (1612-1688) and Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) in Rome. A member of the circle of antiquarians, artists, and antiquity enthusiasts. Although he devoted himself to printmaking and documenting works of ancient art, he also published reproductions of art and architecture by artists more contemporary to him, as exemplified by the featured etching. Ewa Gwiazdowska