This grand and imposing artwork stands as the quintessential example of the 'exhibition watercolour,' emblematic of John Martin's opulent style and expansive artistic vision. The use of bodycolour lends it a richness and intensity of color designed to rival the visual impact of an oil painting, embodying the evolution of a movement that originated from watercolorists' discontent with their treatment by exhibiting societies like the Royal Academy at the beginning of the 19th century. Through its audacious and intricate technique, the artwork vividly showcases Martin's resolute determination to succeed, even in the face of his lack of recognition by the Academy.
This watercolor vividly illustrates the passage from Exodus, chapter 14, verses 26-31, recounting the divine command to Moses to stretch forth his hand, causing the waters to rush back and engulf the Egyptians pursuing the Israelites who were fleeing across the miraculously parched seabed of the Red Sea. The excerpt reads:
"And the waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; and there remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on the right hand, and on their left."
In the depiction, Moses, accompanied by an almost spectral figure of Aaron, stands on a promontory in the right foreground.
Martin's rendering dramatically amplifies the scale of the towering waves on the left and expands the panoramic breadth of the landscape. Pharaoh, recognizable by his distinctive headdress, and his retinue appear as diminutive figures at the center of the composition. Beyond them, on the blood-red horizon, one can discern two minuscule pyramids. Could these, despite their number being two rather than three, be representative of the Great Pyramids of Giza, located some eighty miles from the Red Sea?
The date inscribed on the watercolor, initially interpreted as 1830, is now recognized as 1836. This date places it after the creation of the mezzotint in 1832, which was produced as part of the "Illustrations of the Bible" series released in parts between 1831 and 1835. The scale in the mezzotint is notably more restrained in terms of exaggeration, with Moses occupying a dominant position within the composition, accompanied by the Israelites. Interestingly, it appears that Martin did not create one of his signature large-scale canvases to illustrate this particular subject. The painting inscribed as 'John Martin 1830,' previously attributed to Martin and held in the City Art Gallery, Birmingham, has been revealed through cleaning to be the work of the Bristol artist Samuel Coleman (fl. 1816-40).
One plausible reason why Martin refrained from painting this subject on a grand oil canvas (with a notable exception, see below) might be the presence of a monumental oil painting exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1825 by Martin's younger rival, Francis Danby (1793-1861), titled "The Delivery of Israel out of Egypt." This work, which foregrounds the figures of Moses and the Israelites, met with resounding success and marked Danby's introduction to London's art scene. This captivating narrative painting, subsequently purchased by the Marquess of Stafford, arguably played a role in influencing Martin's choice to focus on watercolor renderings instead.
Interestingly, Martin's luminous sky, aglow with the hues of a deep red setting sun, found a precursor in a work by Danby from a year prior, specifically "Sunset at Sea after a Storm," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1824.
The painting lent by J.F. Jesse to the Wrexham exhibition in 1876, along with two other pieces by Martin, might have been this very watercolor, a preparatory study for an engraving, or another undiscovered work. The confirmed ownership of the watercolor traces back to George Goyder, C.B.E., a scholar and collector who collaborated with Sir Geoffrey Keynes to establish the Blake Trust. Goyder's collection encompassed a significant array of Bibles and British paintings, watercolors, and drawings, including contributions by renowned artists such as William Blake, J.R. Cozens, J.M.W. Turner, and John Ruskin. This collection was subsequently auctioned in these very rooms between 2003 and 2008. Numerous drawings were accepted in lieu of tax and allotted to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Remarkably, this watercolor set a record price for a Martin watercolor at auction when it was last sold in 1991 (£107,800).