Crossing of the Red Sea (Bronzino)
[10] 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.[13] Reflecting on these idealized yet emotionally detached figures taking their inspiration from previous work, art historian Arthur McComb wrote:[14] It is hard to believe that we are here in a company of harassed Jews fleeing from slavery.The sea to which these creatures of a marble formality have come is icy and still, and the arctic impression is borne out by color of a boreal coolness.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 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.[15] 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.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.
BronzinoPalazzo VecchioFlorencefrescoAgnolo di CosimoIsraelitescrossing the Red Seabook of ExodusJoshuaPromised Landbook of NumbersCosimo I de' MediciEleanor of ToledofictivelunettespandrelsOld TestamentHebrew nationUffiziPontormoIdolinoVilla Imperiale of PesarocontrappostoMichelangeloThe Creation of AdamSistine ChapelHieronymus CockJanet Cox-Rearickbattle of MontemurloRepublic of FlorenceStrozzi familyFrancescodonorsEleazarFlorence CathedralDon Pedro de ToledoList of worksPortrait of a Young Man as Saint SebastianPortrait of Ugolino MartelliPortrait of Andrea Doria as NeptunePortrait of a Young Man with a BookPortrait of Bartolomeo PanciatichiPortrait of Bia de' MediciPortrait of Cosimo I de' MediciPortrait of the Dwarf Nano MorgantePortrait of Giovanni de' Medici as a ChildPortrait of Lucrezia PanciatichiPortrait of Eleanor of ToledoPortrait of Stefano ColonnaPietàAdoration of the ShepherdsPanciatichi Holy FamilyDeposition of ChristHoly Family with St. Anne and the Infant St. JohnFlaying of MarsyasVenus, Cupid, Folly and TimeAllegory of HappinessCapponi ChapelMannerismThe Crossing of the Red SeaThe Adoration of the Golden CalfThe MannaMoses Breaking the Tablets of the LawThe Fifth Plague of EgyptVictory O Lord!Dance Around the Golden CalfThe Ten CommandmentsThe Moon of IsraelMoses und AronMoses the LawgiverThe Prince of EgyptThe Exodus DecodedSeder-MasochismThe Abominable Dr. PhibesThe ReapingExodusLes Dix CommandementsMosè in EgittoMoïse et Pharaon, ou Le passage de la mer rougeIsrael in EgyptCreeping DeathPlague SongsDuke and the Great Pie WarMoe and the Big ExitOs Dez MandamentosMoon of IsraelMoses, Man of the MountainThe Tables of the Law