The Destruction of Pharaoh’s Host

In this scene from the biblical book of Exodus, the Hebrew prophet Moses summons the Red Sea to destroy the Egyptian army. Martin populated the shore with minute figures of the Israelites, rendering them only with dabs and strokes of color. This drawing was intended as an autonomous work of art rather than a preparatory composition for a print or painting. The ghostly form beside Moses is probably a correction; the artist likely applied lead-based paint to conceal a figure. Technical examination has revealed that Martin had originally planned an entirely different subject—a wounded man lying on the ground, surrounded by grieving figures (see right).