Joseph Telling Mary about their Flight into Egypt

In a dream an angel instructs Joseph to flee with his wife and child to Egypt. This is the first print in the series Idee pittoresche sopra la fuga in Egitto (Picturesque ideas about the flight into Egypt) by Tiepolo’s eldest son. The Tiepolos usually pulled their etchings from copper plates wiped clean of excess ink. Here, however, some ink was left on the plate, creating an atmospheric, misty effect.