This drawing depicts the passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea, as described in the 14th chapter of the Book of Exodus:
And when Moses had stretched forth his hand over the sea, the Lord took it away by a strong and burning wind blowing all the night, and turned it into dry ground: and the water was divided. And the children of Israel went in through the midst of the sea dried up: for the water was as a wall on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursuing went in after them, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and horsemen through the midst of the sea. And now the morning watch was come, and behold the Lord looking upon the Egyptian army through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, slew their host. And overthrew the wheels of the chariots, and they were carried into the deep. And the Egyptians said: Let us flee from Israel: for the Lord fighteth for them against us. And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch forth thy hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and horsemen. And when Moses had stretched forth his hand towards the sea, it returned at the first break of day to the former place: and as the Egyptians were fleeing away, the waters came upon them, and the Lord shut them up in the middle of the waves. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen of all the army of Pharaoh, who had come into the sea after them, neither did there so much as one of them remain. But the children of Israel marched through the midst of the sea upon dry land, and the waters were to them as a wall on the right hand and on the left: and the Lord delivered Israel on that day out of the hands of the Egyptians.Moses, holding his staff, is at the right of the drawing. He has begun to sing the canticle recorded in the 15th chapter of Exodus, whose first words are written in Latin on a banderole: Let us sing to the Lord, for He is gloriously magnified: the horse and the rider He hath thrown into the sea. Aaron stands beside Moses. His sister Mary the Prophetess leads the women of Israel in a celebratory dance. The three women depicted play a timbrel, a trumpet and a harp. Often in the Psalms, a wind, string, and percussion instrument are mentioned together, perhaps to represent music of all kinds.
Following a convention that I have seen in medieval manuscript miniatures, I drew the water of the Red Sea as literally red. I have taken inspiration for this drawing both from the Book of Exodus and the Psalms, which mention additional details. The Psalm Voce mea says:
The waters saw Thee, O God, the waters saw thee: and they were afraid, and the depths were troubled. Great was the noise of the waters: the clouds sent out a sound. For thy arrows pass: the voice of Thy thunder in a wheel. Thy lightnings enlightened the world: the earth shook and trembled. Thy way is in the sea, and Thy paths in many waters: and Thy footsteps shall not be known. Thou hast conducted Thy people like sheep, by the hand of Moses and Aaron.It is in reference to this that I drew the storm clouds, whirlwinds, and lightning in the background. The Psalm Ut quid Deus says:
Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: Thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters. Thou brakest the heads of Leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness. Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: Thou driedst up mighty rivers. The day is Thine, the night also is Thine: Thou hast prepared the light and the sun.The mention of Leviathan being eaten in the wilderness especially intrigued me. This may have been intended as mostly a metaphor — the Pharaoh of Egypt is twice compared to Leviathan by the Prophet Ezekiel — but I chose to show the monster inhabiting the waters of the Red Sea, here trapped in a wall of waves. Leviathan is associated with the seven-headed Dragon in the Book of Revelations, which is why I drew it with seven heads.
The placement of the sun and moon in the sky associates this sacred event with the storm at Mount Calvary, after Jesus Christ’s side had been opened with the lance. This same association is made in the Reproaches sung on Good Friday: I opened the sea before you, but you opened My side with a spear.
In all drawings of the Summula Pictoria, I use the translucent calfskin for artistic effect, drawing certain details on the reverse side. These appear more or less distinct depending on how much light is shining through the drawing. Here, those details include the damask patterns and the Hand of God the Father.
Sacred artists, perhaps limited by their materials, have for centuries largely avoided the challenge of drawing non-incarnate beings in a distinctive way. For the most part, they have drawn or painted the figures or emblems representing God the Father as though He were physically present, or have avoided depicting Him altogether.
My own practice is to draw these figures or emblems on the opposite side of the calfskin, so that their apparent bodies have a ghostly appearance, and are only fully visible when the drawing is held up to light. It is an imperfect solution to an impossible problem, but it is the best idea I have for now.
The damask patterns on the garments worn by Moses, Aaron, and Mary are in the style of medieval millefleur tapestries. They include a symbolic emblem of a hydrus bursting from the side of a crocodile. According to the medieval bestiaries, this creature lived in the Nile River, and would purposely crawl into the mouth of a sleeping crocodile, letting itself be swallowed. It would then eat its way through the crocodile’s side, killing it. This was taken as a symbol of Jesus Christ harrowing Hell, but I think it is a fitting symbol of the Exodus as well.
Throughout the Summula Pictoria, I depict halos according to a system that I myself invented. Saints of the Old Testament have silver or lunar halos, whereas saints of the New Testament have golden or solar halos. God, in any of His three persons, has a halo with three internal bars, indicating the Trinity.
In patristic writings, the New Testament is associated with the clear light of the Sun, and the Old with the reflected light of the Moon. Because Moses, Aaron, and Mary the Prophetess are saints of the Old Testament, their halos have the color of the moon rather than the sun. Aaron’s and Mary’s are crescent moons, but Moses’ is full; this refers to the fact that Moses will later see Jesus Christ (the Sun of Justice) face to face in the flesh, at His Transfiguration.
Medium: Drawing, color ink on calfskin vellum
Dimensions: 6" × 6 3/4"
Year: 2022
Open-edition giclée prints of this drawing are available. You may use the buttons below to pay via PayPal, debit card, or credit card. Be sure to confirm the shipping address.
|
Actual size art print: $34
|
13" × 14" large print: $68
|
200dpi digital download: $7
|
See this page for additional ordering instructions and general information. If you want to pay via a check or money order, please e-mail me at danielmitsui@danielmitsui.com.
