Italian school; first third of the 17th century."Flight into Egypt".Oil on canvas.Measurements:

Italian school; first third of the 17th century.
"Flight into Egypt".
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 110 x 168 cm; 138 x 197 cm (frame).
The figures that make up the scene are worked with an enormous idealism, emphasizing the softness of the Virgin's face, the expressiveness of the hands, and the modulated illumination used manages to give a greater physical presence, a greater three-dimensionality and also intensity and effectiveness to the figure. These features, as well as the chromatic range used, are typical of the Italian Baroque. The roundness of the figures in the scene, the volumes, the use of a classical composition in which the figures are arranged in the form of a triangle in the centre of the scene, and the emphasis on drawing over colour indicate that this is a northern Italian scene.
The Flight into Egypt is an episode from the Gospel of Saint Matthew that is very popular in the history of art. The passage has often been depicted to identify the Holy Family with those disadvantaged by emigration and political repression. The New Testament account, very brief and typical of Matthew's Gospel, tells how an angel appears in a dream to St Joseph and tells him that he must flee to Egypt with Mary and the child, because King Herod was looking for him to kill him. Joseph obeys, and after a time he is ordered to return, in a similar manner. The evangelist himself sees in the episode the fulfilment of an Old Testament prophecy: "out of Egypt I called my son" (Hosea 11:1). In the apocryphal Gospels and in later Christian tradition, this episode will be expanded with a multitude of anecdotes and miracles that take place during the journey, including the rest during the flight into Egypt, a necessary pause for the Virgin to suckle the Child.
This scene is set in an idealised landscape, which shows the strong influence of 17th-century Italian Baroque models on the present work, among other details. Although there are no horses, except for a donkey, and no figures, the natural setting suggests the depiction of the Rest in the Flight into Egypt, although the absence of such figures could also mean that this is a Holy Family. However, both the presence of the little lovebirds and the standing angel guiding the donkey identify this religious scene in a concrete way, beyond the representation of the Holy Family.

The figures in the scene are executed with great idealism, with the Virgin's soft face and expressive hands standing out, and the modulated lighting used gives the figure a greater physical presence and three-dimensionality, as well as intensity and effect. These features, as well as the chromatic range used, are typical of the Italian Baroque. The roundness of the figures in the scene, the volumes, the use of a classical composition in which the figures are arranged in the form of a triangle in the centre of the scene, and the emphasis on drawing over colour indicate that this is a northern Italian scene.
The Flight into Egypt is an episode from the Gospel of Saint Matthew that is very popular in the history of art. The passage has often been depicted to identify the Holy Family with those disadvantaged by emigration and political repression. The New Testament account, very brief and typical of Matthew's Gospel, tells how an angel appears in a dream to St Joseph and tells him that he must flee to Egypt with Mary and the child, because King Herod was looking for him to kill him. Joseph obeys, and after a time he is ordered to return, in a similar manner. The evangelist himself sees in the episode the fulfilment of an Old Testament prophecy: "out of Egypt I called my son" (Hosea 11:1).