GIROLAMO MOCETTO (MURANO, c. 1458 – VENICE, c. 1531) Biblical scene depicting the war between the Israelites and the Amalekites Circa 1490 Oil on panel 113 x 110 cm In the midst of a military camp, horses and soldiers are busy preparing for an imminent battle. Some horsemen are mounting their horses, whilst others are already leaving the scene. In the background, beyond the colourful tent canopies, a squad is galloping away. Demonstrating a genuine concern to render this space with perspective, the painter has layered his planes in depth. In the foreground, he has thus created a triangular composition involving three horses in varying positions that complement one another. On the left, the horse is depicted from the rear, in foreshortening, whilst in the centre, a second horse is shown in three-quarter profile; finally, on the right, a third horse moves in profile, emerging from the frame of the composition. These same figures of horsemen – one charging the horse in the centre and the other two flanking the horse on the left – are also found in Mocetto’s engraving, held at the Albertina in Vienna. Entitled ‘The Israelites and the Amalekites after the Battle, this engraving allows us to identify this scene from the Old Testament, even though the moment of the battle appears to be different. According to the biblical account, the Amalekites, an ancient Semitic tribe, inhabited the region of Canaan. Their confrontation with the Israelites is recounted in the Book of Exodus, chapter 17. After leaving Egypt under the leadership of Moses, the Israelites were attacked by the Amalekites whilst they were travelling through the Sinai Desert. Moses ordered Joshua to choose some men to fight them, whilst he himself, Aaron and Hur climbed a hill overlooking the battlefield. Moses raised his hands towards the sky in prayer, and as long as he kept his hands raised, the Israelites were victorious. When he lowered his hands, the Amalekites gained the upper hand. Aaron and Hur then supported Moses’s arms until the Israelites secured victory. Girolamo Mocetto (c. 1458–c. 1531) was an Italian Renaissance painter. Originally from Venice, he was, according to some sources, a pupil of Alvise Vivarini (1446–1502), and later of Giovanni Bel- lini (1430–1516), whilst in the art of engraving, he followed in the footsteps of Andrea Mantegna (1431– 1506). Whilst his works show less interest in antiquity than those of Mantegna, he favours a simpler, more narrative style, characterised by figures depicted in dynamic poses and set apart in space, as seen here in his horsemen, in the spirit of Vittore Car- paccio (1465–1525). These details bring him closer to the Veronese school of his time, the city where he worked, notably alongside the artist Domenico Morone (1442–1518). His adaptation to Bellini’s methods probably came about through the works circulated in the Veneto region by the master himself, as well as by Cima da Conegliano (1459–1517) and Bartolomeo Montagna (1450– 1523). The high point of his career was the execution of part of the painted stained-glass window in the right transept of the Dominican church of San Giovanni e Paolo, which he signed on the left panel of the lower register.