Which artist painted the Sistine Chapel fresco The Crossing of the Red Sea?

Cosimo Rosselli painted The Crossing of the Red Sea in the Sistine Chapel. The fresco presents the Israelites’ escape from Egypt, including the divided waters and the destruction of Pharaoh’s army.

Rosselli worked on the chapel’s wall decoration during the 1480s, alongside artists such as Botticelli, Perugino, and Ghirlandaio. Their frescoes formed a visual comparison between episodes from Moses’ life and scenes from the life of Christ.

The work is notable for its broad landscape, energetic water, and multiple narrative moments. Renaissance artists often combined several events in a single painted setting so viewers could follow a larger biblical story.

Rosselli is sometimes overlooked because other artists’ Sistine Chapel frescoes are more frequently reproduced. His workshop also contributed to the chapel’s decoration, making attribution especially important when distinguishing individual scenes.