The Israelites Resting after the Crossing of the Red Sea

The Israelites rest after crossing the Red Sea in this 1815 painting at the Statens Museum for Kunst, a biblical subject from Eckersberg"s Italian period. The moment of rest after the miraculous escape—with Pharaoh"s army drowned behind them—combines dramatic biblical narrative with the opportunity to depict a large group of figures in a landscape setting. Eckersberg developed marine painting into a scientific discipline, combining his academic training in perspective and proportion with direct observation of ships, rigging, and water effects.

The crowd of resting Israelites is organized with the compositional discipline of David"s school, the many figures arranged in readable groups within the landscape. The desert setting provides a warm palette of earth tones and golden light. The handling shows Eckersberg"s ability to manage complex multi-figure compositions.