The Submersion of Pharaoh's Army in the Red Sea (1514–15, printed 1549): Art, History and Details

The Submersion of Pharaoh's Army in the Red Sea (1514–15, printed 1549) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Titian (Italian, c. 1488–1576); Domenico dalle Greche (Italian, 1503–1603).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

To make this monumental woodcut—considered one of the most ambitious prints of the Renaissance—Titian probably drew directly on the wooden blocks, after which a skilled cutter completed the blocks. The size rivals that of a painting, and the composition would have hung on a wall. Titian’s bold vision presents nature as a vehicle of God’s mercy and wrath. Moses, at right, having parted the seas for the Israelites to pass, commands them to close over the Egyptian forces (Exodus 14:21–31). Titian propelled the narrative with remarkable unity, dedicating entire blocks to the turbulent sea and rolling clouds that culminate in a magnificent cliff and Renaissance city. Some have interpreted the scene as an allegory of Venice’s troubles with the League of Cambrai, a military alliance that threatened the island city.

Object facts

• Title: The Submersion of Pharaoh's Army in the Red Sea
• Date: 1514–15, printed 1549
• Creator attribution: Titian (Italian, c. 1488–1576); Domenico dalle Greche (Italian, 1503–1603)
• Culture: Italy, Venice
• Type: Print
• Technique: woodcut
• Dimensions: Unframed: 41.9 x 55 cm (16 1/2 x 21 5/8 in.)
• Collection: PR - Woodcut
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1952.296.4

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Richards, Louise. "The Titian Woodcut by Domenico Dalle Greche." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 43, no. 9 (November 1956): 197-201, 203.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.