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Rest on the Flight into Egypt (Caravaggio)
Encyclopedia
Rest on the Flight into Egypt (c. 1597) is a painting by the Italian
Baroque
master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, in the Doria Pamphilj Gallery, Rome
.
The scene is based not on any incident in the Bible
itself, but on a body of tales or legends that had grown up in the early Middle Ages around the Bible story of the Holy Family
fleeing into Egypt
for refuge on being warned that Herod the Great
was seeking to kill the Christ Child. According to the legend, Joseph and Mary stopped on the flight in a grove of trees; the Holy Child ordered the trees to bend down so that Joseph could take fruit from them, and then ordered a spring of water to gush forth from the roots so that his parents could quench their thirst. The basic story took on many extra details during the centuries. Caravaggio shows Mary asleep with the infant Jesus, while Joseph holds a manuscript for an angel who is playing a hymn to Mary on the violin.
The date of the painting is disputed, and the dispute illustrates the difficulties of Caravaggio's oeuvre. According to Caravaggio's contemporary Giulio Mancini
, this painting and the Penitent Magdalene
, together with an unidentified Saint John the Evangelist, was done while Caravaggio was staying with monsignor Fantino Petrignani, shortly after leaving the workshop of Giuseppe Cesari
. This probably happened in January 1594. However, there are problems with accepting Mancini's statement. To begin, none of these three works were listed in Petragnani's inventory of 1600, although it's possible that they could have been painted for another patron. More seriously, the painting has an obvious and direct compositional source in Annibale Carracci
's Judgement of Hercules, which was completed early in 1596 and widely admired. The pose of Caravaggio's angel, for example, is closely based on that of Carracci's figure of Vice. While John Gash (2003) accepts Mancini's testimony, others, including Robb and Langdon (both 1998), have raised the possibility that it was painted for Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte
, who made Caravaggio in effect his household artist from about 1595 or 1596. The sophisticated treatment is appropriate for the cardinal's intellectual tastes and interests (the music held by Joseph is a motet by the Flemish composer Noel Bauldeweyn
, with a text from the Song of Songs
dedicated to the Madonna, Quam pulchra es, "How beautiful you are"), and it's unlikely that the artist would embark on a work like this other than as a direct commission.
This was the first large-scale work done by Caravaggio, and compositionally both more ambitious and more successful than The Musicians
, of about 1595. It's also one of the very rare landscapes from this artist who seems always to have been painting in a prison cell, a room at a tavern, or at night - one critic has joked that all the sky in all Caravaggio's 80-odd works would add up to a few square centimeters of paint. The painting was apparently sold to the Pamphilj by the early 17th century. Caravaggio's Lombard formation and Venetian heritage are evident in the treatment of the landscape and in the luminous tonalities. Like most depictions of the flight to Egypt this is a peaceful moment, one in which the scenery is to be enjoyed, more gardenscape than landscape. The luminous figure of the adolescent angel, at once serene and sensuous, holds the centre of the group. The mother and child grouping, one of many that Caravaggio would paint, is comparable in its delicacy and realism to the best that the thousands in the canon can offer.
One of the great pastimes of Caravaggio scholars is identifying his models. Much progress has been made, but the following should be regarded as tentative only, as Caravaggio left few clues. Mary appears to be the same girl who appears as Mary Magdalen in the Penitent Magdalene
of about 1597, also in the Doria-Pamphilj Gallery. The aged Joseph appears similar to the elderly saints in The Inspiration of Saint Matthew of 1602 and, less clearly, Saint Jerome in Meditation
of about 1605. Some critics have identified the boy-angel with the ingenuous victim of cheats on the left of Cardsharps
, while others have seen a similarity with the profile of the boy cheating him instead.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, in the Doria Pamphilj Gallery, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
The scene is based not on any incident in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
itself, but on a body of tales or legends that had grown up in the early Middle Ages around the Bible story of the Holy Family
Holy Family
The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph.The Feast of the Holy Family is a liturgical celebration in the Roman Catholic Church in honor of Jesus of Nazareth, his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his foster father, Saint Joseph, as a family...
fleeing into Egypt
Flight into Egypt
The flight into Egypt is a biblical event described in the Gospel of Matthew , in which Joseph fled to Egypt with his wife Mary and infant son Jesus after a visit by Magi because they learn that King Herod intends to kill the infants of that area...
for refuge on being warned that Herod the Great
Herod the Great
Herod , also known as Herod the Great , was a Roman client king of Judea. His epithet of "the Great" is widely disputed as he is described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis." He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and elsewhere, including his...
was seeking to kill the Christ Child. According to the legend, Joseph and Mary stopped on the flight in a grove of trees; the Holy Child ordered the trees to bend down so that Joseph could take fruit from them, and then ordered a spring of water to gush forth from the roots so that his parents could quench their thirst. The basic story took on many extra details during the centuries. Caravaggio shows Mary asleep with the infant Jesus, while Joseph holds a manuscript for an angel who is playing a hymn to Mary on the violin.
Mancini
Mancini is an Italian surname etymologically meaning "left handed" and may refer to:-Art and literature:*Antonio Mancini, Italian painter*Dominic Mancini, 15th century traveler and author*Don Mancini, who wrote Child's Play...
, this painting and the Penitent Magdalene
Penitent Magdalene (Caravaggio)
Penitent Magdalene is a 16th century oil on canvas painting by Italian Baroque painter Caravaggio. The painting portrays a repentant Mary Magdalene, bowed over in penitent sorrow as she leaves behind her dissolute life, its trappings abandoned beside her. At the time of its completion, ca...
, together with an unidentified Saint John the Evangelist, was done while Caravaggio was staying with monsignor Fantino Petrignani, shortly after leaving the workshop of Giuseppe Cesari
Giuseppe Cesari
Giuseppe Cesari was an Italian Mannerist painter, also named Il Giuseppino and called Cavaliere d'Arpino, because he was created Cavaliere di Cristo by his patron Pope Clement VIII. He was much patronized in Rome by both Sixtus V.-Biography:Cesari's father had been a native of Arpino, but...
. This probably happened in January 1594. However, there are problems with accepting Mancini's statement. To begin, none of these three works were listed in Petragnani's inventory of 1600, although it's possible that they could have been painted for another patron. More seriously, the painting has an obvious and direct compositional source in Annibale Carracci
Annibale Carracci
Annibale Carracci was an Italian Baroque painter.-Early career:Annibale Carracci was born in Bologna, and in all likelihood first apprenticed within his family...
's Judgement of Hercules, which was completed early in 1596 and widely admired. The pose of Caravaggio's angel, for example, is closely based on that of Carracci's figure of Vice. While John Gash (2003) accepts Mancini's testimony, others, including Robb and Langdon (both 1998), have raised the possibility that it was painted for Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte
Francesco Maria Del Monte
Francesco Maria Del Monte, full name Francesco Maria Bourbon Del Monte Santa Maria, was an Italian Cardinal, diplomat and connoisseur of the arts...
, who made Caravaggio in effect his household artist from about 1595 or 1596. The sophisticated treatment is appropriate for the cardinal's intellectual tastes and interests (the music held by Joseph is a motet by the Flemish composer Noel Bauldeweyn
Noel Bauldeweyn
Noel Bauldeweyn was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance, active in the Low Countries. A contemporary of Josquin des Prez, he had a strong reputation until well after the middle of the 16th century...
, with a text from the Song of Songs
Song of songs
Song of Songs, also known as the Song of Solomon, is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. It may also refer to:In music:* Song of songs , the debut album by David and the Giants* A generic term for medleysPlays...
dedicated to the Madonna, Quam pulchra es, "How beautiful you are"), and it's unlikely that the artist would embark on a work like this other than as a direct commission.
This was the first large-scale work done by Caravaggio, and compositionally both more ambitious and more successful than The Musicians
The Musicians (Caravaggio)
The Musicians is a painting by the Italian Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio . It is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York....
, of about 1595. It's also one of the very rare landscapes from this artist who seems always to have been painting in a prison cell, a room at a tavern, or at night - one critic has joked that all the sky in all Caravaggio's 80-odd works would add up to a few square centimeters of paint. The painting was apparently sold to the Pamphilj by the early 17th century. Caravaggio's Lombard formation and Venetian heritage are evident in the treatment of the landscape and in the luminous tonalities. Like most depictions of the flight to Egypt this is a peaceful moment, one in which the scenery is to be enjoyed, more gardenscape than landscape. The luminous figure of the adolescent angel, at once serene and sensuous, holds the centre of the group. The mother and child grouping, one of many that Caravaggio would paint, is comparable in its delicacy and realism to the best that the thousands in the canon can offer.
Penitent Magdalene (Caravaggio)
Penitent Magdalene is a 16th century oil on canvas painting by Italian Baroque painter Caravaggio. The painting portrays a repentant Mary Magdalene, bowed over in penitent sorrow as she leaves behind her dissolute life, its trappings abandoned beside her. At the time of its completion, ca...
of about 1597, also in the Doria-Pamphilj Gallery. The aged Joseph appears similar to the elderly saints in The Inspiration of Saint Matthew of 1602 and, less clearly, Saint Jerome in Meditation
Saint Jerome in Meditation (Caravaggio)
Saint Jerome in Meditation is a painting by the Italian Baroque master Caravaggio, now in the Museum of the Monastery of Santa Maria, Montserrat ....
of about 1605. Some critics have identified the boy-angel with the ingenuous victim of cheats on the left of Cardsharps
Cardsharps (Caravaggio)
The Cardsharps is a painting by the Italian Baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.-History:The work represents an important milestone for Caravaggio...
, while others have seen a similarity with the profile of the boy cheating him instead.