Pharaoh and the Plague of Frogs

Art Historical Context

Behold the dramatic engraving *Pharaoh and the of Frogs* by Pierre Woiriot, masterful 16th-century (ca. 1501–1550) from the National of Art's Rosenwald. Measuring a modest 16.2 × 22 cm, this intimate sheet captures a pivotal biblical moment from the Book of Exodus (8:1–15), where God unleashes a plague of frogs upon Egypt as divine judgment on Pharaoh's refusal to free the Israelites. Woir, a French engraver during the Renaissance, transforms this chaotic miracle into a vivid scene teeming with symbolic power. Engraving, Woiriot's chosen medium, exemplifies the era's innovative printmaking te...