The Destruction of Pharaoh's Army
Historical Context
Philippe-Jacques de Loutherbourg was an Alsatian-born painter who became one of the most inventive artists in late eighteenth-century Britain, pioneering theatrical stage design and spectacular landscape painting. This 1792 depiction of the destruction of Pharaoh's army at the Red Sea exemplifies the Romantic sublime, combining biblical narrative with terrifying natural forces in a composition of overwhelming scale.
Technical Analysis
The oil on canvas deploys dramatic contrasts of light and darkness with towering waves and supernatural illumination. De Loutherbourg's theatrical training shows in the stagecraft of the composition, with figures arranged against a vast, tumultuous backdrop.
Provenance
Commissioned by Thomas Macklin (died 1800), London for the Macklin Bible. International Galleries, Chicago, 1963-64; sold to Jackie Proler, Houston, Texas, 1964 [letter of November 17 , 1994 from R. Stanley Johnson]; sold Christie's, New York, May 31, 1989, lot 118 to Richard L. Feigen [with Jan Cohen as agent, according to letter of October 26, 1994 from Cohen]; sold to the Art Institute, 1991.
