The Rest on the Flight into Egypt

Art Historical Context

This engraving captures the biblical scene of the Holy Family resting during their flight into Egypt, a moment of quiet refuge amid peril. Created in 1578 by Giorgio Ghisi after a design by Giulio Campi the print reflects the collaborative spirit of 16th-century Italian art, where painters and printmakers worked together to share compositions with wider audiences. Ghisi, a skilled engraver from Mantua, translated Campi’s painted vision into the precise lines of engraving on laid paper. This medium allowed fine details and tonal effects to be reproduced through incised copper plates, making religious narratives accessible beyond churches and palaces. The substantial sheet size—nearly 19 by 13 inches—further emphasizes its role as a display-worthy work rather than a simple illustration. Housed in the National Gallery of Art’s Rosenwald Collection, the print highlights how reproductive engravings helped shape cultural memory of sacred stories during the late Renaissance. Its crisp technique and balanced composition invite viewers to pause, much like the figures themselves, and reflect on themes of protection and rest.