Rest on the flight to Egypt

Caravaggio, Michelangelo Merisi da (1571-1610)

Item type:

painting

Date of creation:

1595

Height:

130.0 cm  (51 3/16 in.)

Width:

160.0 cm  (63 in.)

Technique / Medium:

oil on canvas

Place of creation:

Roma

Description

Joseph is holding a score while an angel is playing violin. Also represented are Mary holding the baby Jesus and a donkey. The composition in the score is a motet (1519) by Flemish composer Noel Bauldwijn (Bauldeweyn). The text, from the Song of Songs and dedicated to the Madonna, begins Quam pulchra es, (How beautiful you are).

People as subjects

St. Joseph (born late 1st century BCE, died 1st century CE)
St. Mary (Blessed Virgin)
Jesus Christ

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Violin [3573]

Musical works

Bauldeweyn, Noel -- Quam pulchra eslegible music notation

Image URLs

image link 1

Bibliographic references

De Logu, Giuseppe. Caravaggio (New York: Harry N. Abrams, [1964]), 147.

Slim, H. C. ‘Music in and out of Egypt: a Little-Studied Iconographical Tradition’, MD xxxvii (1983), 289–326. RILM 1983-6501.

Ember, Ildikó. Music in painting: Music as a symbol in Renaissance and Baroque painting. Trans. by Mary and András Boros-Kazai (Budapest: Corvina, 1984) plate 31. ISBN 9631317234. RILM 1984-6813.

RIdIM record id

399