Artwork
The Flight into Egypt
The Flight into Egypt is an oil painting by the High Baroque Italian artist Luca Giordano. It dates from 1698 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
A woman in blue holds a swaddled baby under a dim, cloudy sky. Beside her a bearded man in a yellow robe looks up while another figure kneels, and small winged figures float above. Luca Giordano set soft light on their faces against the dark, marking a quiet moment. 1698.
Subject & Meaning
Luca Giordano's 1698 oil painting depicts the biblical narrative of the Flight into Egypt, illustrating the Holy Family's escape to safety.
Luca Giordano's 1698 oil painting depicts the biblical narrative of the Flight into Egypt, illustrating the Holy Family's escape to safety. The composition specifically features the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and Joseph, accompanied by an angel. The scene also includes a boat, suggesting a maritime element to their journey rather than a purely terrestrial one.
As a work of religious art, the piece visualizes the protective divine intervention surrounding the family as they flee persecution. The inclusion of the angel emphasizes the supernatural guidance central to the story, while the boat serves as a specific iconographic detail within this particular interpretation of the flight.
Technique & Style
The Flight into Egypt is executed in oil paint on canvas, a support typical of late-Baroque easel painting. The composition centers on the Holy Family in flight, guided by an angel, within a landscape setting that includes a boat. The work is classified as a religious painting of the late seventeenth century and is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The available sources do not provide further detail on the artist's specific handling, palette, or the work's condition.
History & Provenance
The Flight into Egypt by Luca Giordano is dated 1698, aligning with the artist's late Neapolitan period noted for its dynamic composition and luminous palette. The painting (oil on canvas, 61.5 × 48.9 cm) depicts the Holy Family's flight, including Joseph, Mary with the Christ Child, and an angel, consistent with Giordano's treatment of religious narrative. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, under accession number 2019.143, having been acquired in 2019 through the European Paintings Fund. Specific exhibition records are not detailed in the cited sources.
Overview
This oil painting, titled The Flight into Egypt, depicts a pivotal biblical narrative. The composition centers on a small group of figures set against a somber, cloud-filled sky. The work is executed in oil paint, a medium that allows for rich color and subtle gradations of light and shadow, contributing to the scene's dramatic yet intimate atmosphere. It captures a moment of quiet contemplation amidst a journey.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Luca Giordano was an Italian late-Baroque painter and printmaker in etching. Giordano was one of the most celebrated artists of the Neapolitan Baroque, whose vast output included altarpieces, mythological paintings and…
- The Flight into Egypt
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