Flight into Egypt

Pozzo employs pronounced chiaroscuro, juxtaposing luminous highlights against deep shadows to model the figures and convey a three‑dimensional presence on a flat surface. The handling of light reflects his broader expertise in creating illusionistic effects, a skill he famously applied in large‑scale frescoes, here adapted to the intimate scale of an oil canvas.

After its completion in the late seventeenth century, the painting entered the holdings of the National Museum of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires, where it remains part of the permanent collection. Its acquisition history is documented through museum records, confirming its presence in the institution’s Baroque holdings.

Andrea Pozzo was a Jesuit brother renowned for his architectural perspective paintings, particularly quadratura frescoes that extended real space through illusion. While best known for ceiling decorations, this canvas demonstrates his ability to translate perspectival tricks onto portable media, integrating the dramatic lighting and theatricality characteristic of Baroque religious art.