Rest on the Flight into Egypt (Caravaggio)
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| The rest on the flight into Egypt |
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| Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio , 1594–1596 |
| Oil on canvas |
| 130 × 160 cm |
| Galleria Doria Pamphilj |
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt is a painting by Caravaggio that is now kept in the Galleria Doria Pamphilj in Rome . It is considered one of the masterpieces from Caravaggio's early creative period.
The large-format painting (135.5 × 166.5 cm) is undated; it is believed to have been made around 1594. The client is not known, but is believed to be in the vicinity of the oratorians of St. Philip Neri .
description
The painting depicts a scene on the flight into Egypt .
The picture is dominated by an angel playing music from the rear, who divides the picture into two parts with his wings: on the right Mary with the child, on the left in the background a donkey, in front of it the angel and Joseph holding a sheet of music. The piece shown has been identified, is a motet by the Flemish composer Noel Bauldewijn (ca. 1480-1529 / 30) on a text of the Song of Songs : Quam pulchra es et quam decora, carissima in deliciis! Statura tua assimilata est palmae, et ubera tua botris. ( Hld 7,7,8 EU ).
The landscape representation in the background on the right is untypical for Caravaggio, only in his Sacrifice of Isaac is the landscape similarly prominent. With the detailed depiction of the demijohn at the front left, the picture also contains elements of a still life .
interpretation
Like many great works of art, this also allows for different interpretations. About the meaning of various elements - e.g. For example, the motet Quam pulchra es or the broken string of the angel's violin - the most varied of speculations were made.
Despite the biblical subject, a homoerotic interpretation cannot be ruled out: This is supported by the lascivious pose of the angel and the fact that the white cloth hides his naked body from the viewer's eyes, but not from Joseph's gaze.
Web links
literature
- Eberhard König: Caravaggio . Könemann, Cologne 1997, ISBN 3-8290-0685-3 .