The Flight into Egypt
An artist of incomparable fantasy and expressive power, Tura was court painter to the dukes of Ferrara. This scene depicts a weary Holy Family fleeing to Egypt after receiving a warning that King Herod was seeking to kill the infant Jesus. This roundel belongs to a series of three showing the early life of Christ. The series may come from the base (predella) of an altarpiece, possibly Tura’s impressive Roverella Altarpiece, the central panel of which is in the National Gallery, London. The nervous, calligraphic line and mystical-seeming landscape are typical of the artist.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Flight into Egypt
- Artist: Cosmè Tura (Cosimo di Domenico di Bonaventura) (Italian, Ferrara ca. 1433–1495 Ferrara)
- Date: 1470s
- Medium: Tempera on wood
- Dimensions: Overall, with corners made up, 15 5/8 x 15 1/8 in. (39.7 x 38.4 cm); painted surface, diameter 15 1/4 in. (38.7 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: The Jules Bache Collection, 1949
- Object Number: 49.7.17
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
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