According to Alfonso E. Pérez Sánchez, the types and technique of this fine painting would suggest a mid 1500s Flemish work, probably from the Antwerp School. The highly expressive faces with striking features show an affinity with those painted by Peter Aertsen (1508-1575), although without the acute tension conveyed by the latter.

This painting recounts the story of Moses as told in Exodus (34:29-35) with the handing over of the Ten Commandments, the metal snake and the adoration of the golden calf. The foreground shows Moses holding the tablets next to his brother Aaron, dressed as a priest of the ancient law. The representation of Moses with horns instead of a shining halo, which began in England in the 11^th century and continued throughout Europe until the 17^th century, is owing to an error in St Jerome’s translation of the Bible.