The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

Print in black ink depicting a wave of water in the upper two thirds, rising to a peak in the upper right diagonal. Above this peak cut wavy lines, below becoming dense and intersecting in cross-hatches. Primarily horizontal lines create buildings in the lower third, a tallest, circular structure rising center left, two wavy tendrils waving like ribbons to its left. In the lower right corner, a gap emerges between the buildings and water's hatching.

The Submersion of Pharaoh's Army in the Red Sea

1514–15, printed 1549

Titian

(Italian, c. 1488–1576)
publisher

Domenico dalle Greche

(Italian, 1503–1603)
Italy, Venice
woodcut
Unframed: 40 x 55 cm (15 3/4 x 21 5/8 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1952.296.1
Catalogue raisonné: Mauroner 24
Location: Not on view

Description

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.
  • 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. Mentioned: p. 197 www.jstor.org
  • Against the Grain: Woodcuts from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 17-November 9, 2003).
  • {{cite web|title=The Submersion of Pharaoh's Army in the Red Sea|url=false|author=Titian, Domenico dalle Greche|year=1514–15, printed 1549|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1952.296.1