Moses Undergoing Trial by Fire

Giorgione painted this unusual religious scene between 1502 and 1505, depicting a trial from the Talmud rather than the Christian Bible. The episode shows the infant Moses choosing between gold and burning coals, a story used to test whether he posed a threat to Pharaoh's throne.

The oil on panel measures 90 by 72 centimeters. Together with its pendant painting "The Judgement of Solomon," this work arrived at the Uffizi Gallery in 1795 from the Medici Villa of Poggio Imperiale. Both were originally attributed to Giovanni Bellini. The choice of a Talmudic subject suggests the patron was an acculturated person not strictly following official Roman Catholic positions.

The horizontal composition gives importance to the landscape, showing influences from Northern European painting in its care for detail. Giorgione, alongside his younger contemporary Titian, founded the Venetian school characterized by rich color and poetic mood.