Who painted The Rest on the Flight into Egypt?

The Rest on the Flight into Egypt was painted by Filippo Lauri in 1650.

Where can I see The Rest on the Flight into Egypt?

The Rest on the Flight into Egypt is held by Kunsthistorisches Museum.

What movement is The Rest on the Flight into Egypt?

The Rest on the Flight into Egypt is associated with Early Baroque Italian.

Artwork

The Rest on the Flight into Egypt

Filippo Lauri , 1650

The Rest on the Flight into Egypt is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Filippo Lauri. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

About this work

Overview

Filippo Lauri’s oil on canvas, dated around 1650, portrays a moment from the biblical Flight into Egypt. The composition centers on the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus, with Joseph attending a donkey, while a group of cherubic figures animate the foreground. A gentle landscape unfolds behind them, bathed in the soft light of an evening sky.

Subject & Meaning

The work visualizes the Holy Family’s exile, emphasizing themes of protection and divine guidance. Mary’s tender embrace of the child and Joseph’s caretaking of the animal suggest a harmonious domesticity, while the playful angels underscore a celestial presence overseeing the journey. The tranquil setting conveys a sense of calm amid the narrative’s underlying peril.

Technique & Style

Executed in oil, Lauri employs a balanced chiaroscuro that models forms through subtle contrasts of light and shadow. Warm, golden hues dominate the background, creating atmospheric depth, while cooler blues delineate Joseph’s robe. The brushwork combines fine detailing in the figures with broader, softer strokes in the landscape, characteristic of mid‑seventeenth‑century Roman painting.

History & Provenance

Created circa 1650, the painting entered the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, where it remains on display. Its accession reflects the museum’s broader acquisition of Baroque religious works, and the piece has been documented in the museum’s catalogue since the early nineteenth century.

Context

Lauri, a member of a family of painters active in Rome, often depicted sacred subjects for private devotion. This composition aligns with contemporary Counter‑Reformation iconography, which favored intimate, emotionally resonant scenes of biblical events to foster personal piety among viewers.