By Colonial Museum
Museo Colonial
The Flight into Egypt (Siglo XVII) by Gregorio Vásquez de Arce y CeballosColonial Museum
This canvas, painted in 1680, represents a night scene of the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt.
The story narrated in the painting begins at the bottom right where you see the soldiers sent by Herod to persecute the Holy Family.
One of the angels surrounding the Holy Family observes the scene...
... while an angel illuminates the path ...
... and another guides them to a safe place.
In the painting there are several sources of light: one of them is the full moon ...
... another is the torch held by one of the angels...
... however the main source of light...
... is the one that emanates from the Virgin and the child.
To the right of the tree, there is a diffuse figure ...
... which could have been the original position of the moon, which the painter decided to change. This is called "pentimento".
