Image source: nga.gov
The Flight Into Egypt
Artist:Vittore Carpaccio
| Support Type: | Wood Panel |
| Paint Type: | Oil Paint |
| Current Location: | National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (Accession no. 1937.1.28) |
| Location History: | Painted c. 1515 (though its precise dating and attribution were debated for decades as the work was at times catalogued as by Giovanni Bellini, or as by "a good Bellini follower, probably Giovanni Mansueti," before later scholarship confirmed it as Carpaccio's own).Then it was owned by Edward Solly (1776–1844) in Berlin; purchased in 1821 by the Königliche Museen, Berlin (installed in the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum in 1904). Later it was sold in 1924 to Charles Albert de Burlet, Berlin. Then it was passed to Professor Luigi Grassi (1858–1937), Florence and Rome. Then it was sold through the dealer Arthur J. Sulley & Co., London. Acquired in 1927 by Otto H. Kahn (1867–1934), New York. Later it was again put up for sale and was sold through Duveen Brothers, Inc., London and New York. Later it was purchased on 26 April 1937 by The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, Pittsburgh. And finally it was Gifted in 1937 to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., as part of the Andrew W. Mellon Collection, where it remains today (Accession no. 1937.1.28). |
Vittore Carpaccio’s The Flight into Egypt stands as a brilliant High Renaissance depiction of the Holy Family's escape from King Herod. Mary’s face carries a quiet sadness as she cradles the newborn Christ child upon the donkey, Joseph’s steady, forward-looking stride anchors the visual narrative in a protective, humble dignity. Aligning his practice with contemporary Venetian peers like Giovanni Bellini, Carpaccio used this biblical narrative to construct an idealized, dreamlike landscape.
Information Compiled by
Balasiewdor S Symblai