1867
137,2 x 317,5 cm
Oil on canvas
© Guildhall Art Gallery, City of London

The imposing Israel in Egypt by the British artist Sir Edward Poynter combines Egyptomania with the historicising of bible subjects. Poynter presents the exile of the Israelites against an eclectic looking background of classical Egyptian monuments. He took the story from the Old Testament book of Exodus. The work received great praise when it was first shown to the public at the Royal Academy in London in 1867.