The Submersion of Pharaoh's Army in the Red Sea
c. 1515, printed 1549
Medium
Woodcut in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
40.1 × 54.6 cm (15 13/16 × 21 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodcut
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
181323
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The grand scale of Titian’s twelve-sheet woodcut (see 1957.12.1–12) mimics history paintings and large wall hangings. The assembled composition would fit only on a massive wall, a use confirmed by the total lack of early impressions. Only this 1549 state is known, printed from woodblocks studded with wormholes, which appear in the image as tiny white dots. The inscription at lower center of The Submersion describes the Israelites’ persecution under the Egyptian pharaoh and his army’s fate when t...
About the Artist
Titian · 1483–1576
Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488-1576), known as Titian, was the greatest painter of the 16th-century Venetian school and one of the most influential artists in Western art history. Born in Pieve di Cadore in the Venetian Republic, Titian revolutionized painting through his innovative use of color, expressive brushwork, and mastery of oil technique. Trained in Giovanni Bellini's workshop alongside Giorgi...