Rest on the flight into Egypt, Mary holding the infant Christ while St. Joseph points into the distance
ca. 1637–39
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Plate: 6 1/4 × 7 3/4 in. (15.8 × 19.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1926
Accession Number
26.70.4(62)
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the intimate etching *Rest on the Flight into* (ca. 1637–39), Bolognese artist Simone Cant captures a tender moment from the biblical narrative in the Gospel of Matthew. Virgin Mary cradles the Christ while Saint Joseph gestures toward the horizon, their donkey companion resting nearby—a poignant during the Holy Family's perilous escape from King Herod's massacre of innocents. Cantarini, a protégé of Guido Reni,uses the scene with the soft, graceful idealism of the Bolognese Baroque, emphasizing maternal devotion and quiet divinity amid hardship. Rendered as a delicate etching on a modest ...
About the Artist
Simone Cantarini · 1612–1648
He was one of the most eminent pupils of Guido Reni and one of the most gifted engravers in the tradition of the Carracci. He had a strong personality and developed a highly original style, which united aspects of Bolognese classicism with a bold naturalism. Comment on works: Religious