| The Departure of the Israelites | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | David Roberts |
| Year | 1829 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, history painting |
| Dimensions | 119 cm× 212 cm(47 in× 83 in) |
| Location | Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham |
The Departure of the Israelites is an 1829 historical landscape painting by the British artist David Roberts. [1] It portrays a scene from the biblical story of The Exodus. [2] Moses, having secured the release of the enslaved Israelites through the ten Plagues of Egypt prepares to lead them to freedom as they depart Ancient Egypt for their Crossing of the Red Sea.
The painting was commissioned by the art collector Lord Northwick and was displayed at the at Suffolk Street Gallery in London during the annual exhibition of the Society of British Artists. [3] It represented a major breakthrough work for Roberts and was reproduced as an engraving. [4] Roberts was a noted scenic designer for the West End stage. He later became known for his tours of Spain and Italy and particularly the Middle East where he recorded the surviving architecture from the Classical era. Today the painting is in the collection of the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in the West Midlands, having been acquired in 1986. [5]
