The Flight into Egypt

probably 1662

Stefano Della Bella

Associated Names
Stefano Della Bella

Artist, Florentine, 1610 - 1664

This is a drawing of a woman on a donkey in a pastoral setting with angelic figures and cherubs present. The scene features a central focus of a woman seated on a donkey, draped in flowing garments, with an ethereal halo above her head. The composition is framed by detailed, lush foliage with a backdrop that includes cherubic faces within the clouds. The donkey is led by another figure, heading towards distant hills under a serene sky. The surrounding figures include an angelic presence with wings beside the central woman. The intricate linework and shading add depth and texture, emphasizing the peaceful, contemplative mood of the scene.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and bitten tone

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William Benedict

  • Dimensions

    plate: 21.6 x 21.7 cm (8 1/2 x 8 9/16 in.)
    sheet: 22.9 x 22.9 cm (9 x 9 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1977.22.1

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    De Vesme/Massar 1971, no. 13, State i/ii

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1983

  • Graphic Survey Show, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., July 1983.

1989

  • Italian Etchers of the Renaissance & Baroque, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Cleveland Museum of Art; and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1989, no. 125, repro.

1994

  • A Discerning Eye: Prints and Drawings Given by Ruth B. Benedict, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994, no. 29.

Bibliography

1906

  • Vesme, Alexandre de (Baudi di Vesme, Alessandro). Le peintre-graveur italien; ouvrage faisant suite au peintre-graveur de Bartsch. Milan: Ulrico Hoepli, 1906, no. 13, i/ii.

1971

  • De Vesme, Alexandre, Phyllis Dearborn Massar.Stefano Della Bella. New York, 1971: no. 13, i/ii.

1989

  • Reed, Sue Welsh and Richard Wallace. Italian Etchers of the Renaissance & Baroque. Musuem of Fine Arts, Boston, 1989: no.125.

1994

  • A Discerning Eye: Prints and Drawings Given by Ruth B. Benedict. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994: no. 29.

2001

  • Talbierska, Jolanta.AKWAFORTY ZE ZBIOROW GABINETU RYCIN BIBLIOTEKI UNIWERSYTECKIEJ W WARSZAWIE / Etchings from the Collection of the Print Room of the Warsaw University Library. Warsaw, 2001: no. IV. 1.

Inscriptions

lower left in plate: SDB

Wikidata ID

Q65577903

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