The Discovery of Moses

The Discovery of Moses is an oil on canvas history painting by the English artist Edwin Long, from 1886. It is also known as Pharaoh's Daughter.

History and description

It depicts the Old Testament scene of the Finding of Moses, a popular subject in art from the Renaissance onwards. The infant Moses is discovered in a basket by the Pharaoh's daughter and her handmaidens, while they are bathing in the River Nile.
It was displayed at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition of 1886 at Burlington House in London. The work was a stylistic inspiration for the film director Cecil B. DeMille's epic silent film The Ten Commandments. Today the painting is in the collection of the City Museum and Art Gallery in Bristol, having been acquired in 1908.