Artwork
The Rest on the Return from Egypt
The Rest on the Return from Egypt is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Paris Bordone. It dates from 1540 and is held in the collection of the National Galleries Scotland. Created circa 1540, this oil painting shows a seated woman in a red robe holding an infant, with a child beside her reaching for a scroll.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1540, this oil painting shows a seated woman in a red robe holding an infant, with a child beside her reaching for a scroll. Behind them a gently rolling landscape unfolds beneath a cloudy sky, dotted with distant figures and a lone donkey. The work is part of the collection of the Scottish National Gallery.
Subject & Meaning
The central figures are the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus and the youthful Saint John the Baptist. A book or scroll placed among them underscores a contemplative, devotional theme, inviting viewers to consider the theological significance of the Holy Family’s journey and the prophetic role of John.
Technique & Style
The artist, trained in Titian’s workshop, employs a palette and lighting that anticipate early Baroque sensibilities while retaining Mannerist compositional complexity. The figure’s calm expressions, the luminous gold headpiece, and the elongated poses reflect a blend of naturalistic modeling and stylized elegance characteristic of mid‑16th‑century Venetian painting.
History & Provenance
The painting was produced in Italy around the mid‑16th century and later entered the holdings of the Scottish National Gallery. Its attribution to the artist is supported by stylistic links to his other religious works and documented workshop training under Titian.
Context
Executed during a period of transition from High Renaissance to Baroque, the work illustrates the evolving narrative focus of religious art in Italy. It aligns with contemporary depictions of the Holy Family’s return from Egypt, a subject that allowed artists to explore intimate domestic scenes within a sacred framework.
Artist & collection
Artist
Paris Bordone (Paris Paschalinus Bordone; 5 July 1500 – 19 January 1571) was an Italian painter of the Venetian Renaissance who, despite training with Titian, maintained a strand of Mannerist complexity and provincial vigor.
