Ewer Stand: Moses Striking the Rock

The main scene of this stand derives from woodcuts by Bernard Salomon, first published in Quadrins historiques de la Bible and Biblia Sacra in 1553 and 1554, respectively. Moses is identifiable by his horns and staff, which he uses to strike the rock and produce water. A procession of Israelites waiting to fill their jugs crowds the rest of the composition. The initials P·R on the rim stand for Pierre Reymond, whose workshop signed about fifteen ewer stands painted in grisaille between 1557 and 1566. This colorful example was probably made at the end of Pierre Reymond’s career, when he returned to a chromatic palette.

Source: Vignon, Charlotte. The Frick Collection Decorative Arts Handbook. New York: The Frick Collection/Scala, 2015.

Cathedral of Calahorra, province of Logroño, Spain. J. Pierpont Morgan, London and New York. Duveen. Frick, 1916.

Source: Enamels, Rugs and Silver in The Frick Collection. Volume VIII. New York: The Frick Collection, 1977.