Pietro Mera and School - Flight into Egypt

The episode of the "Flight into Egypt" is recounted in the Gospel of Matthew. Joseph and Mary flee to Egypt to save the baby Jesus from the massacre of the innocents ordered by Herod. The theme of "rest from the flight into Egypt" is widespread in Western art, especially in the 16th and 17th centuries. The scene is often enriched by the presence of figures of saints. In the specific case of the work in question, we have a truly essential representation: the artist has created a scene in which only the main characters of the subject appear, namely the Holy Family, Saint Joseph, and the Madonna and Child on a donkey (a traditional element never missing in the "Flight into Egypt"). A noteworthy detail is the artist's characterization of Saint Joseph, dressed in the typical pilgrim's garb. His distinctive features are recognizable in his wide-brimmed hat, mantilla, and staff. Another very interesting detail is the fact that the Madonna is depicted breastfeeding the Child.

Overall, stylistically, the work conforms to a typical 16th- and 17th-century naturalism, but in a very instinctive manner, likely of popular origin. Indeed, we can see how the artist follows the aesthetic canons, first Renaissance and then generally Classicist, of a monumental rendering of figures. Saint Joseph advances with his ample volumes, his plasticity emphasized by the loose drapes of his robe and cloak, just as the figure of the Madonna is composed of a substantial volume. Furthermore, still following the canons of Classicist-style naturalism, the scene is immersed in a natural landscape, with the backdrop defined by the slopes of the mountains. The significant element is the fact that these aesthetic canons are interpreted in a rather simplified manner, with a clear tendency toward stylization. Saint Joseph's movement, although engaged in a complex torsion as required by the rules of great naturalism, nevertheless appears somewhat mechanical and unnatural. The Madonna and Child are larger than the donkey. The space also tends toward two-dimensionality, with no real escape into depth. The color scheme favors predominantly brown tones, with some light, especially in the background.

The work has been attributed to an artist working in the circle of Pietro Mera, a painter originally from Utrecht, born in 1570, active in Italy, where he was nicknamed "the Flemish," and who died in Venice in 1644. Regarding the work in question, the stylistic characteristics outlined above would support a dating between the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The overall austere nature of the representation and the use of color, typical of artistic production during the Counter-Reformation, also support this hypothesis. We can be fairly certain that the painting was created by a local artisan, as we can see a desire for a naturalistic representation of the human figure, albeit with limited technical means. The work is therefore extremely interesting for its popular character, which demonstrates a type of devotion that lies outside of official canons, as can also be seen from the rather unusual elaboration of the iconographic theme (with Saint Joseph the Pilgrim and the Madonna breastfeeding the Child). For these reasons, the painting can be considered a very important historical and artistic testimony to popular piety between the 16th and 17th centuries.

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