Rest on the Flight into Egypt
1615-1621
Imagine fleeing your home in the middle of the night—that’s the context for this scene of the Holy Family taking a break during their escape to Egypt. Orazio Gentileschi, a master of the Baroque style, paints Joseph completely passed out from exhaustion, while Mary quietly nurses the baby Jesus. But the real star here is the donkey in the background, poking its head through a ruined wall as if to check on the sleeping dad. It’s a surprisingly humorous and human take on a biblical story, grounding the divine figures in a very relatable moment of travel fatigue.
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
Views: 1