NARRATOR:
In this magical painting by the 16th-century Italian artist Jacopo Bassano, the Holy Family flees King Herod’s murderous soldiers, making their way to safety in Egypt. Bassano specialized in Biblical scenes in country settings that allowed him to introduce peasants and animals. The picture is full of earthy details, such as the village in the background, the clopping donkey, and the sniffing dog. Yet there’s a sense of mystery and excitement here too, enhanced by the glowing color that Venetian painters were so renowned for. Here and there, patches of white appear like sudden flashes of lightning.
The composition is anchored by a triangle, its base formed by a line of knees and feet along the bottom of the picture. At the apex is the head of the Madonna, set off in brilliant white. There, we find a moment of stillness in the loving gaze between mother and son.
Around them, the picture swirls with activity. At the left, a soldier guzzles a drink and a farmer gathers his chickens. While in front, plods a stolid Joseph. Lost in thought or fatigue, he seems surrounded by a mysterious wind. The shape of his billowing mantle echoes the glorious wings and fluttering drapery of the angel, and his leg and gnarled foot parallel the angel’s tread. Every figure leans forward, compounding the sense of movement. Draw a mental line from the lower left corner, up across the picture, to the raised hand of the angel. As you do, you can see how Bassano uses knees and hands, and even the edge of a patch of pale ground, to sweep us in the direction of that compelling gesture towards heaven. At the same time, with one elegant finger, the angel points to a shoot growing from a stump of a fig tree. As a botanical symbol, the figure represents the Fall of Adam and Eve, as well as the redemption of sins through Christ’s resurrection and the promise of everlasting life.
The Flight into Egypt
c. 1544-45
Jacopo Bassano (Italian, 1510-1592)
On View
Jacopo Bassano specialized in the production of Biblical, pastoral scenes featuring peasants and animals. His paintings were admired for their richness of color and complex designs. Here the procession is animated by a strong sense of diagonal movement, the swirling draperies and the emphatically gesturing angel. Only the Madonna and Child, the physical and spiritual apex of the composition, appear tranquil. The sublimely eccentric angel leads them into undefined, even precipitous territory. His right hand points to a sprouting tree, a symbol of Christ's resurrection. This type of intricate, picturesque composition, pleasing in every detail, was inspiring to later generations of artists.
Details
- Artist Name: Jacopo Bassano (Italian, 1510-1592)
- Title: The Flight into Egypt
- Date: c. 1544-45
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: framed: 60-5/8 x 90 in. (154.0 x 228.6 cm); canvas: 48-1/2 x 77-1/4 in. (123.2 x 196.2 cm)
- Credit Line: Norton Simon Art Foundation
- Accession Number: M.1969.35.P
- Copyright: © Norton Simon Art Foundation
Object Information
General Sir James Henry Craig (1748-1812), by inheritance to;
Lord Harrington (sale, London, Christie’s, 18 April 1812, lot 11, bought in).
Sir Joseph Henry Hawley, 3rd Baronet (1814-1875), Leybourne Grange, Brighton, and London, by inheritance to his brother;
Sir Henry James Hawley, 4th Baronet (1815-1898).
Miss Annie Massey.
Stuart Rendel, 1st Baron Rendel of Hatchlands (1834–1913), to his grandson;
Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel, C.B.E. (1887–1959), gift 1957 to;
Prinknash Abbey, Gloucester; installed in refectory 13 February 1958 (sale, London, Christie’s, 5 December 1969, lot 112), to;
Norton Simon Art Foundation.
Lord Harrington (sale, London, Christie’s, 18 April 1812, lot 11, bought in).
Sir Joseph Henry Hawley, 3rd Baronet (1814-1875), Leybourne Grange, Brighton, and London, by inheritance to his brother;
Sir Henry James Hawley, 4th Baronet (1815-1898).
Miss Annie Massey.
Stuart Rendel, 1st Baron Rendel of Hatchlands (1834–1913), to his grandson;
Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel, C.B.E. (1887–1959), gift 1957 to;
Prinknash Abbey, Gloucester; installed in refectory 13 February 1958 (sale, London, Christie’s, 5 December 1969, lot 112), to;
Norton Simon Art Foundation.
The Golden Century of Venetian Painting
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- Rigon, F., Gli Animali di Jacopo Bassano,figs. 12 a, b, c pp. 33, 36-37
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- Wilson, Carolyn C., Saint Joseph in Italian Renaissance Art: New Directions and New Interpretations,pl. 60 p. 153
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- Herbert, J., Inside Christie's, p. 161
- Steadman, David, Art Journal,fig. 2 pp. 34-35
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