Fan leaf, painted kid, watercolour, after Nicolas Poussin's 'The Adoration of the Golden Calf', 1700-20, French. A painted fan leaf mounted on an oak support; watercolour on kid, after Nicolas Poussin's 'Adoration of the Golden Calf', ca. 1634. The focal

Fan leaf, painted kid, watercolour, after Nicolas Poussin's 'The Adoration of the Golden Calf', 1700-20, French. A painted fan leaf mounted on an oak support; watercolour on kid, after Nicolas Poussin's 'Adoration of the Golden Calf', ca. 1634. The focal point of the composition is the golden calf, raised on an altar, draped with garlands of flowers and laurel leaves. To the right of the calf, a group of figures in classical dress have assembled; they are fervently bowing and paying homage to the shrine. They are led in their worship by Aaron, a tall bearded figure, dressed in priestly robes, his right arm extended towards the golden calf. A view of distant hills can be glimpsed in the background behind the figures. To the left of the altar, a group of bacchanalian-style revellers are dancing with wild abandon, their arms raised in the air, drawing the viewer's eye to the figure of Moses in the background, who is in the process of casting the second tablet to the ground. The first tablet lies broken at his feet. In the foreground, a tambourine(?) has been momentarily discarded and is leaning against the rocks. The painting appears unfinished in places; in a departure from Poussin's original composition, a figure has been traced, emerging from the undergrowth in the lower left: perhaps an attempt to balance out the lower half of the composition. The artist appears to have been undecided as to what to do with the figure and has only partially obscured it with foliage. Similarly, the tree trunks have been executed with comparatively little detail and in a manner that is entirely disproportionate to the amount of detail given, for instance, to the figures' drapery.  Watercolour on kid.