Image Details

Museo Nazionale (Bargello), Florence, Italy/Giraudon/Bridgeman Art Library

Moses’ spies return from their secret mission into Canaan bearing the fruits, literally, of their espionage activity, in this 12th-century enamel plaque from the Bargello, in Florence. Moses sent 12 spies into the Holy Land—the leaders of the 12 tribes—to investigate the local strongholds and defenses as well as the agricultural potential of the land. Like a modern spymaster, Moses requested hard data: actual samples of the Promised Land’s produce (Numbers 13:20), such as the grapes shown here, which attest to the fertility of Canaan’s vineyards.