''The Crossing of the Red Sea'', also known as ''The Crossing of the Red Sea and Moses Appointing Joshua'', is a
fresco painting by the Italian artist
Agnolo di Cosimo
Agnolo di Cosimo (; 17 November 150323 November 1572), usually known as Bronzino ( it, Il Bronzino ) or Agnolo Bronzino, was an Italian Mannerist painter from Florence. His sobriquet, ''Bronzino'', may refer to his relatively dark skin or reddis ...
, known as Bronzino, finished in 1542. It depicts the Nation of Israel
crossing the Red Sea
The Crossing of the Red Sea ( he, קריעת ים סוף, Kriat Yam Suph, parting of the Sea of Reeds) forms an episode in the biblical narrative of The Exodus.
It tells of the escape of the Israelites, led by Moses, from the pursuing Egyptians ...
from the
book of Exodus
The Book of Exodus (from grc, Ἔξοδος, translit=Éxodos; he, שְׁמוֹת ''Šəmōṯ'', "Names") is the second book of the Bible. It narrates the story of the Exodus, in which the Israelites leave slavery in Biblical Egypt through ...
and Moses commissioning Joshua to lead the Israelites into the
promised land
The Promised Land ( he, הארץ המובטחת, translit.: ''ha'aretz hamuvtakhat''; ar, أرض الميعاد, translit.: ''ard al-mi'ad; also known as "The Land of Milk and Honey"'') is the land which, according to the Tanakh (the Hebrew ...
from the
book of Numbers
The book of Numbers (from Greek Ἀριθμοί, ''Arithmoi''; he, בְּמִדְבַּר, ''Bəmīḏbar'', "In the desert f) is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah. The book has a long and c ...
. It is housed in the
Palazzo Vecchio,
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
.
In 1540,
Cosimo I de' Medici
Cosimo I de' Medici (12 June 1519 – 21 April 1574) was the second Duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, a title he held until his death.
Life
Rise to power
Cosimo was born in Florence on 12 ...
and/or his wife,
Eleanor of Toledo
Eleanor of Toledo (Italian: ''Eleonora di Toledo'', 11 January 1522 – 17 December 1562), born Doña Leonor Álvarez de Toledo y Osorio, was a Spanish noblewoman and Duchess of Florence as the first wife of Cosimo I de' Medici. A keen businessw ...
, commissioned this and other frescoes for Eleanor's private chapel. Three of the four walls of the small chapel found on the second floor of the palace are covered with works telling the story of
Moses.
Composition
![Standing-Nude-Seen-from-the-Rear-ca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Standing-Nude-Seen-from-the-Rear-ca.-1541%E2%80%9342.jpg)
The large fresco is an example of
Maniera art and is found on the south wall of the chapel. It is framed by
fictive architectural elements including columns and an arch that provide the illusion the scene is contained in a
lunette. The
spandrel
A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame; between the tops of two adjacent arches or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fill ...
s in the upper corners boast medallions and draperies to complete the illusion. The damage to the lower left corner is due to moisture.
The fresco depicts three different scenes from the
Old Testament. The three figures in the center foreground and three figures in the left foreground represent the
Hebrew nation preparing to leave Egypt (). In the background, the Hebrews are shown safely completing their crossing of the Red Sea as Moses (shown in blue) gestures for the waters to return and drown the pursuing Egyptians (). In the right foreground, Moses, near the end of his life, is depicted laying his hand on
Joshua
Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...
and commissioning him to lead the Israelites ().
Bronzino's arrangement of the Hebrews in the foreground demonstrates his mannerist penchant for appropriating classical sculptural subjects in his works. The seated nude on the right is shown in the classic reclining pose of a river god. The semi-nude youth on the left with his back to the viewer contorts his body to grip the arm of a seated female while holding a bundle of unleavened bread on his head. The same youth can be seen reaching the far shore in the background of the fresco. Bronzino's study of a standing nude in the
Uffizi
The Uffizi Gallery (; it, Galleria degli Uffizi, italic=no, ) is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums ...
was thought to be the work of Bronzino's teacher,
Pontormo
Jacopo Carucci (May 24, 1494 – January 2, 1557), usually known as ''Jacopo da Pontormo'', ''Jacopo Pontormo'', or simply Pontormo, was an Italian Mannerist painter and portraitist from the Florentine School. His work represents a profound st ...
, until the 20th century. It is clearly a preparatory chalk drawing for the standing figure with the bundle on his head. His exaggerated thrust of the hip and raised arm are common mannerist motifs and one leg crossed behind the other is a signature pose of Bronzino's. The figure in the center leaning on a rock is shown with his legs similarly crossed. The standing figure's stance appears to be inspired by a Roman copy of a Greek bronze statue known as the ''
Idolino
The Idolino, or Idolino of Pesaro, is a Roman bronze statue of a nude youth in ''contrapposto,'' standing 146 cm high, made in approximately 30 B.C. It is a copy of a Greek sculpture in the style of Polyclitus made in approximately 440 B.C. I ...
''. It was unearthed in a 1530 excavation at the
Villa Imperiale of Pesaro
The Villa Imperiale of Pesaro is a suburban palatial house outside of Pesaro, built and decorated by artists of the late-Renaissance or Mannerist period. It is now a private residence but the frescoed rooms and elaborate gardens are available for ...
where Bronzino was working at the time. Bronzino has replaced the gentle
contrapposto
''Contrapposto'' () is an Italian term that means "counterpoise". It is used in the visual arts to describe a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot, so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs in the ...
of the ancient sculpture with a more artificial pose that is decorative and stylish.
Pontormo passed on his inclination to imitate
Michelangelo to his student Bronzino. This can clearly be seen by examining the outstretched arm of Moses as he prepares to lay his hand on the youthful Joshua. The gesture is taken directly from ''
The Creation of Adam
'' Creation of Adam'' () is a fresco painting by Italian artist Michelangelo, which forms part of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling, painted c. 1508–1512. It illustrates the Biblical creation narrative from the Book of Genesis in which God gives li ...
'' in the
Sistine Chapel
The Sistine Chapel (; la, Sacellum Sixtinum; it, Cappella Sistina ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), the chapel takes its nam ...
. Reflecting on these idealized yet emotionally detached figures taking their inspiration from previous work, art historian Arthur McComb wrote:
The damage to the fresco has obliterated much of the scene portraying the Hebrews preparing to leave Egypt. An anonymous engraving based on Bronzino's work that was published by
Hieronymus Cock
Hieronymus Cock, or Hieronymus Wellens de Cock (1518 – 3 October 1570) was a Flemish painter and etcher as well as a publisher and distributor of prints. shortly after the fresco was completed includes the missing details. If these details accurately represent Bronzino's work, the scene depicts the standing youth encouraging two nursing mothers to rise up and begin the exodus. At his feet sit another child and bundles of supplies for the journey.
Based on this evidence, art historian
Janet Cox-Rearick has suggested that the ornate silver urn and gold basin in the foreground represent the Egyptian treasure the Hebrews took with them as they hastily prepared to leave.
Symbolism and portraiture
![Angelo Bronzino 023](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Angelo_Bronzino_023.jpg)
This painting contains various allusions to the Medici's dynastic and political intentions. Moses can be equated to Cosimo I, who wants to lead his people to the promised land. The crossing of the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptian army alludes to the 1537
battle of Montemurlo
On 1 or 2 August 1537 (both dates are given in sources), near the Tuscan village of Montemurlo, the forces of the newly installed Duke Cosimo I of Florence defeated a hastily organized army of those who wished to overthrow the Medici and restor ...
where Cosimo I defeated the army trying to restore the
Republic of Florence
The Republic of Florence, officially the Florentine Republic ( it, Repubblica Fiorentina, , or ), was a medieval and early modern state that was centered on the Italian city of Florence in Tuscany. The republic originated in 1115, when the Flo ...
. The symbolism pointing to the battle isn't particularly subtle. A red Egyptian banner in the left background shows a portion of the coat of arms of the
Strozzi family, one of the principal factions opposed to Medici rule. The appointment of Joshua by Moses refers to the birth in 1541 of
Francesco
Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name " Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include:
People with the given name Francesco
* Francesco I (disambiguation), sev ...
, the son of Cosimo I and Eleanor and heir to the ducal state. This last allusion is strengthened by the pregnant woman portrayed behind Moses in the right foreground.
Portraits of
donors
A donor in general is a person, organization or government which donates something voluntarily. The term is usually used to represent a form of pure altruism, but is sometimes used when the payment for a service is recognized by all parties as r ...
, political figures, and artists embedded in religious works were common in sixteenth-century Florence. It appears that three of the men surrounding Moses in the right foreground are portraits. Only one has been positively identified. The man with the long dark beard portraying the priest
Eleazar
Eleazar (; ) or Elʽazar was a priest in the Hebrew Bible, the second High Priest, succeeding his father Aaron after he died. He was a nephew of Moses.
Biblical narrative
Eleazar played a number of roles during the course of the Exodus, from cr ...
is Pierfrancesco Riccio who served as both Cosimo's secretary and a priest at the
Florence Cathedral. The man in the red turban is a scholar based on the black
coif
A coif () is a close fitting cap worn by both men and women that covers the top, back, and sides of the head.
History
Coifs date from the 10th century, but fell out of popularity with men in the 14th century."A New Look for Women." Arts and ...
under the turban, and his Florentine identity is thought to be the writer Pier Francesco Giambullari. The man in blue who is looking out of the fresco at the viewer might be a self-portrait of Bronzino. It has also been posited that the man kneeling in front of Moses in the right foreground is Eleanor's father,
Don Pedro de Toledo.
Notes
References
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{{coord, 43, 46, 09, N, 11, 15, 23, E, type:landmark_source:kolossus-itwiki, display=title
1540s paintings
Paintings by Bronzino
Paintings depicting Moses
Palazzo Vecchio
Paintings in Florence
Horses in art
Water in art