Landscape with Flight into Egypt

The majesty and monumentality of the figures, gestures, and expressions in this small copper painting by Domenichino belie its diminutive size. As Joseph, Mary, and Jesus leave for Egypt, escaping Herod's decree, a boatman struggles mightily with his pole to hold steady the boat that will carry them. Joseph tenderly looks toward Mary and offers her his arm as she steps aboard, while the Christ child sleeps deeply and the donkey which brought them to the river's edge begins to graze.

The landscape is reminiscent of Rome, where Domenichino painted the work early in his career. He was heavily influenced by Annibale Carracci, with whom he worked on a similar landscape scene of the same subject, as part of a group of works known as the Aldobrandini lunettes that helped to define and establish the entire seventeenth-century classical landscape tradition. Here, two pyramids and a round building reminiscent of the Pantheon combine known Roman architectural types with the feel of the countryside surrounding that city, and allude to Egypt's most recognized architectural form. The low houses to the left and lightly brushed indications of two figures on the path in the distance help to alleviate the solitude of the scene. Domenichino's careful rendering of the foliage and clear colors add to the work's delicacy.