Rest During The Flight To Egypt

This oil on canvas from the first half of the 18th century represents the moment of rest of Mary and Joseph with the Child, during the flight to Egypt, a place recognizable thanks to the large palm tree on the left, under which two cherubs seem to be resting from their flight. At the birth of Jesus, the Magi from the East, following the star, stop in Jerusalem at Herod the Great, asking where to find the newborn "King of the Jews". Herod, fearing that the child sought by the Magi is a future threat to his throne, tries to kill him and since he does not know the precise date of his birth, nor who this child is, he orders all the children to be killed. of the under-two zone. In a dream, an angel appears to Joseph, warns him of danger, and orders him to take Jesus and his mother to Egypt. In the Gospel of Matthew, there is no news of this journey, nor of the time that the family of fugitives remained in Egypt, but many episodes are told in the apocryphal gospels. As the central axis of the painting, we find an angel, facing directly towards Joseph, to recall the apparition in a dream that caused the flight. Dimensions with frame: 59 x 76 cm Dimensions without frame: 45 x 63 cm