The Rest on the Flight to Egypt with Saint Francis
Encyclopedia
The Rest on the Flight to Egypt with Saint Francis is a painting by the Italian Renaissance master Correggio, dated to c. 1520 and housed in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence
.
, is now unanimously assigned to Correggio. It has been linked to the testament of jurist Francesco Munari who, in 1520, left money to the church of St. Francis in the town of Correggio
for the decoration of the Immaculate Conception Chapel, where he wanted to be buried
The work remained in the church until 1638, when duke Francesco I d'Este
moved his collections to Modena
and replaced it with a copy by Jean Boulanger
. In 1649 it was acquired by Ferdinando II de' Medici, in exchange for the Sacrifice of Isaac by Andrea del Sarto
, and was thenceforth located at the Uffizi.
' childhood narrated in the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew
. During their flight from Egypt, the Holy Family stopped to rest under a palm tree. The latter bent itself to offer them its fruit and water appeared from its roots. The Virgin is portrayed in the middle, with the Child on her knees. Joseph, on the left, is giving fruits to Jesus. On the right is St. Francis, present in the scene as a homage to the donor (who was eponymous of the saint), or the church.
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
.
History
The painting, once attributed to Federico BarocciFederico Barocci
Federico Barocci was an Italian Renaissance painter and printmaker. His original name was Federico Fiori, and he was nicknamed Il Baroccio, which still in northwestern Italian dialects means a two wheel cart drawn by oxen...
, is now unanimously assigned to Correggio. It has been linked to the testament of jurist Francesco Munari who, in 1520, left money to the church of St. Francis in the town of Correggio
Correggio, Italy
Correggio is a small town and comune in the Province of Reggio Emilia, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, in the Po valley. As of 2007 Correggio had an estimated population of 23,108....
for the decoration of the Immaculate Conception Chapel, where he wanted to be buried
The work remained in the church until 1638, when duke Francesco I d'Este
Francesco I d'Este
Francesco I d'Este was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1629 until his death. The eldest son of Alfonso III d'Este, he became reigning duke after his father's abdication.-Biography:...
moved his collections to Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
and replaced it with a copy by Jean Boulanger
Jean Boulanger
Jean Boulanger was a French artist active in Italy during the Baroque period. One of his more famous works are the frescoes at the Ducal palace of Sassuolo. His pupils include Tommaso Costa at Modena....
. In 1649 it was acquired by Ferdinando II de' Medici, in exchange for the Sacrifice of Isaac by Andrea del Sarto
Andrea del Sarto
Andrea del Sarto was an Italian painter from Florence, whose career flourished during the High Renaissance and early Mannerism. Though highly regarded during his lifetime as an artist senza errori , his renown was eclipsed after his death by that of his contemporaries, Leonardo da Vinci,...
, and was thenceforth located at the Uffizi.
Description
The painting is inspired to an episode of JesusJesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
' childhood narrated in the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew
The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew is a part of the New Testament apocrypha, and sometimes goes by the name of The Infancy Gospel of Matthew, but the actual name of the text in antiquity was The Book About the Origin of the Blessed Mary and the Childhood of the Savior...
. During their flight from Egypt, the Holy Family stopped to rest under a palm tree. The latter bent itself to offer them its fruit and water appeared from its roots. The Virgin is portrayed in the middle, with the Child on her knees. Joseph, on the left, is giving fruits to Jesus. On the right is St. Francis, present in the scene as a homage to the donor (who was eponymous of the saint), or the church.