Lombard School, 17th Century, Flight Into Egypt

Lombard School, 17th century

The Flight into Egypt

oil on canvas, 58.5 x 44 cm

The work depicts the Flight into Egypt, set in a hilly landscape dominated by dense tree cover in earthy and green tones. At the center of the scene, the Virgin Mary, dressed in a pinkish-red gown and a draped blue cloak, sits astride a dark donkey, holding the Baby Jesus in her arms. On the right, Saint Joseph walks alongside the animal, supporting a burden on a staff, while casting a watchful, caring glance toward the family. In the foreground on the left, an angelic or servant-like figure with an Apollonian appearance kneels in a posture of humble service, tending to the donkey. The rendering of the landscape and the vegetative background give way to flashes of bright light rendered with broad, sweeping brushstrokes.

The painting fits squarely within the tradition of 17th-century Lombard painting, a period characterized by a synthesis of the devotionalism of previous centuries and a taste for emotional and dramatic storytelling. In particular, the work exhibits strong affinities with the painterly style of the Nuvolone family, whose workshop dominated the Milanese art scene for decades.

The rendering of the figures is the element that most decisively points to the Nuvolone school. Note the Virgin and, in particular, the angel in the foreground: there is a tendency toward physiognomic idealization that never descends into pure academic abstraction, maintaining a certain volumetric solidity. The application of color is characterized by a swift execution that does not seek microscopic detail but focuses on the overall effect and the rendering of light on the fabric. This approach is clearly indebted to the teachings of Carlo Francesco Nuvolone. Comparisons can be drawn with works such as “Christ and the Adulteress.”

While the main figures bear the influence of Carlo Francesco, the organization of space and the integration with the landscape also suggest the influence of his brother Giuseppe Nuvolone. Giuseppe, while following in his brother’s footsteps, developed a more pronounced taste for scenography and an attention to natural detail—sometimes almost anecdotal—set within devotional contexts. The use of large trees with foliage rendered in a impasto style using “broad brushstrokes,” forming a natural canopy over the Virgin, is a frequent compositional device in his work. A fitting comparison can be drawn with the “Flight into Egypt.