Rest on the Flight into Egypt

Caravaggio's Rest on the Flight into Egypt from around 1597, now in the Galleria Doria Pamphilj in Rome, depicts the holy family resting during their flight from Herod's massacre of the innocents — the infant Christ asleep on the Virgin's lap while an angel plays music for Joseph. The work is unusual in Caravaggio's output for its lyrical sweetness and atmospheric landscape setting — most of his religious works used stark interior lighting, but this early work employed the soft diffuse light and flowing landscape of the Venetian pastoral tradition he had absorbed through Giorgione and Titian's prints. The angel playing the violin for Joseph is one of the most graceful figures in his entire output.

The painting is divided between a lush green landscape on the right and a barren scene on the left, symbolizing the transition from the Old to the New Testament. Caravaggio's detailed rendering of the angel's wings, musical score, and landscape demonstrates his early versatility.