The Crossing of the Red Sea by Cosimo Rosselli, Exodus 14, Bible.Gallery

The Crossing of the Red Sea created 1481 nad was completed in 1482 Its dimension is 572cm wide and 350cm high and it was drawn with fresco style.

Artwork Description

The Crossing of the Red Sea by Cosimo Rosselli, Exodus 14, Bible.Gallery

On 27 October 1480 several Florentine painters left for Rome, where they had been called as part of the reconciliation project between Lorenzo de' Medici, the de facto ruler of Florence, and Pope Sixtus IV. The Florentines started to work in the Sistine Chapel as early as the Spring of 1481, along with Pietro Perugino, who was already there.


The theme of the decoration was a parallel between the Stories of Moses and those of Christ, as a sign of continuity between the Old and the New Testament. A continuity also between the divine law of the Tables and the message of Jesus, who, in turn, chose Peter (the first alleged bishop of Rome) as his successor: this would finally result in a legitimation of the latter's successors, the popes of Rome.


Among the several fresco in the cycle, that of the Passage of the Red Sea was the one with the most problematic attribution. Although the name of Ghirlandaio was made by several authorities, the work's style is more reminiscent of that of Cosimo Rosselli or Biagio d'Antonio.

Artist : Cosimo Rosselli

Other artworks from Cosimo Rosselli

Moses and the Tables of the Law by Cosimo Rosselli Exodus 32

The last supper by Cosimo Rosselli Matthew 26:17-30

The sermon on the mount by Cosimo Rosselli Matthew 5:1-12

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