The Flight into Egypt
Artist: Jacopo Bassano (Jacopo dal Ponte) (Italian (Venice), ca. 1515-1592)
Date: about 1540-1545
Dimensions:
62 x 80 in. (157.5 x 203.2 cm)
Medium: oil on canvas
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1977.41
Label Text:A master at depicting the human figure, animals, and landscape, Jacopo dal Ponte, called Bassano after his native town, displays his skill in his brightly colored version of the Biblical story of Joseph leading his wife Mary and the infant Jesus out of Bethlehem to flee King Herod.
Joseph strides steadfastly along a rocky path—symbolic of the difficult road to salvation—while one of his shepherd companions points the way, persuading another shepherd to stay the course. Bassano helped to place the scene in the realm of everyday life, encouraging greater sympathy for the trials and sufferings of the Biblical figures, by details such as the ordinary faces of the shepherds, the determined features of Joseph, the melancholy young Mary, and the landscape inspired by the environs of the town Bassano del Grappa.
Joseph strides steadfastly along a rocky path—symbolic of the difficult road to salvation—while one of his shepherd companions points the way, persuading another shepherd to stay the course. Bassano helped to place the scene in the realm of everyday life, encouraging greater sympathy for the trials and sufferings of the Biblical figures, by details such as the ordinary faces of the shepherds, the determined features of Joseph, the melancholy young Mary, and the landscape inspired by the environs of the town Bassano del Grappa.
On view
In Collection(s)