The Burning Bush

Nicolas Froment painted The Burning Bush in 1475–1476 as the centerpiece of a triptych commissioned by King René I of Anjou for the Cathedral of Saint-Sauveur in Aix-en-Provence. The subject depicts Moses before the burning bush, which in Christian typology prefigures the Virgin Mary — the bush that burns without being consumed symbolizing Mary's perpetual virginity. This was Froment's most ambitious work and the masterpiece of fifteenth-century Provençal painting, demonstrating the sophisticated theological program that René, one of the most cultivated rulers of his age, demanded of his court painter.

Froment integrates Netherlandish oil painting technique with a distinctly Mediterranean sensibility in color and light. The detailed landscape of Provence visible in the background demonstrates careful observation of local topography, while the meticulous rendering of the bush's foliage and flames shows technical ambition in depicting complex natural phenomena.