Moses and the Brazen Serpent, 1787, Benjamin West, American, (active Britain), 1738 - 1820, 21 1/16 × 12 15/16 in. (53.5 × 32.86 cm) (sheet)29 1/4 × 22 15/16 × 1 3/4 in. (74.3 × 58.26 × 4.45 cm) (outer frame), Black chalk, squared in white chalk, on buff-colored paper, England, 18th century, The story of Moses and the Brazen Serpent comes from the Bible (Numbers 21). God had sent the Israelites to wander in the wilderness as punishment for their sins. Forgetting that this exile had arisen from their own failings, they began to blame Moses for their misery. In judgement God sent poisonous serpents into their camp. This caused the people to come to Moses to confess their sins and to ask for Gods mercy. Moses prayed to God and received instructions to make a bronze serpent and set it up on a pole. When the people beheld the bronze serpent they were healed, thus restoring their faith in God. In Christianity, this passage is regarded as foreshadowing Christs sacrifice on the cross.