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The Rest on the Flight into Egypt as Allegory of Christ Triumphing Over Paganism, c. 1695

Giovanni Battista Gaulli called Il Baciccio

Exhibited by Galerie Terrades

Material Oil on canvas

Dimensions 66 x 49 cm

Place of Creation Rome

Status Vetted

About the Work

It is during this decade of 1690-1700 that Gaulli seems to have received a commission to create a major pala d’altare showing The Rest on the Flight into Egypt as Allegory of Christ Triumphing over Paganism. It must clearly have been a major work, but the sources are silent about this commission: although the final painting may not have been completed, a group of works survives that illustrate this theme. The originality of this composition is to combine a Rest on the flight into Egypt with the Virgin, St.

Joseph and the Child Jesus with an Allegory of Christ Triumphing Over Paganism. In fact the Virgin is holding Christ sitting on a high classical base on which a sculpture of a pagan divinity had sat and has been overturned. It is now under St. Joseph’s feet. In addition, on the Virgin’s left, we notice a brazier that has fallen to the ground. Our painting is the bozzetto for the large pala d'altare which has either been lost or was never made.

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Provenance

Private Collection

Literature

We are grateful to Prof. Francesco Petrucci who kindly confirmed the attribution of this painting and has provided important information for the preparation of this entry.