Artwork
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Francesco Albani. It dates from 1626 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and Saint Joseph pausing during their journey, with an angel accompanying the group.
The painting depicts the Rest on the Flight into Egypt, a popular subject drawn from the apocryphal and Gospel narratives of the Holy Family's flight to Egypt to escape Herod's massacre of the innocents. The composition centers on the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and Saint Joseph pausing during their journey, with an angel accompanying the group. The scene emphasizes the tenderness and refuge of the Holy Family, a theme Albani treated repeatedly in his religious output, and the inclusion of the angel underscores divine protection over the travelers.
As a religious work, the painting invites contemplation of the Incarnation and the providential care afforded to Christ in his infancy.
Technique & Style
Created in 1626, The Rest on the Flight into Egypt is an oil painting executed on a canvas support. The work measures 628 cm in height and 785 cm in width, presenting a substantial scale for a religious composition. Francesco Albani's handling of the medium depicts the Holy Family alongside an angel, adhering to the conventions of religious art.
The physical dimensions and material choices reflect the artist's approach to large-scale narrative painting during the early seventeenth century.
History & Provenance
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt is an oil painting on canvas created by Francesco Albani in 1626. This religious work depicts the biblical figures of Mary, the Christ Child, Joseph, and an angel during their journey. The painting measures 62.8 cm in height and 78.5 cm in width.
It is currently held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK) in Copenhagen, where it is cataloged under the inventory number KMSsp103.
Overview
Francesco Albani’s 1626 oil on canvas, titled The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, presents a tranquil interlude from the biblical journey of the Holy Family. The composition places Mary cradling the infant Christ beside a kneeling Joseph, set within a shaded woodland. Angelic figures hover above and beside them, while a few animals repose beneath the trees, creating a serene, protective atmosphere.
Context
Albani, a Bolognese painter associated with the Carracci school, often depicted mythological and sacred subjects with an emphasis on graceful composition. The Rest on the Flight into Egypt aligns with contemporary Counter‑Reformation art, which favored intimate, emotionally resonant portrayals of holy narratives to inspire personal devotion among viewers.
Artist & collection
Artist
Francesco Albani or Albano was an Italian Baroque painter of Albanian descent who was active in Bologna, Rome, Viterbo (1609–1610), Mantua (1621–1622) and Florence (1633).
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt
The Holy Family with Saints
The Rest on the Fligth into Egypt
The Rest on the Fligth into Egypt
Mystic marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Den hellige familie
The Rest on the Flight to Egypt
The Holy Family with Saints
Christus und das kanaanitische Weib