Flight into Egypt Titian (Tiziano Vecellio) (1488/90-1576)

Description of Titian Vechellio’s painting Escape to Egypt

"Escape to Egypt" is considered one of the earliest works by the great Renaissance artist Titian, made probably in 1507 or 1508. The work is painted on a canvas of impressive size (206 x 336 cm), most of the composition is landscape. Catherine the Great bought this canvas in 1768 in Venice. It was recently restored and opened for display in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

Mary rides a donkey, her child on her lap, and Joseph walks on foot. The group of travelers is led by a young man, probably an angel - according to the tradition of the images of the time, necessarily accompanying the Holy Family. The unprecedented sensitivity to light, so characteristic of almost all Titian paintings, fills the picture. He spontaneously takes a somewhat naive approach to the vision of nature, especially in the depictions of animals. The young artist shows us his mastery of landscape painting, his bold strokes and exciting use of color will later become the hallmark of his artistic style. The landscape attracts the eye with the incredible green of the foliage, the blue of the sky, the deep blue of the mountains in the distance.

"Escape to Egypt" was commissioned by Andrea Loredan, a Venetian patrician, a relative of the Venetian Doge Loredan, who was considered a patron of many painters of the time. The painting was planned to adorn the portico of Loredan’s palace on the Venetian Grand Canal, which now houses the casino. Loredan was also the patron of such great artists who worked on Venetian soil as Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione and Sebastiano del Piombo.