Rest on the Flight into Egypt - Elisabetta Sirani

A delicate seventeenth-century etching by Elisabetta Sirani, depicting the Holy Family in a moment of quiet repose during their journey.

This etching by Elisabetta Sirani depicts the Holy Family during their journey to Egypt. Sirani, a prolific Bolognese artist of the seventeenth century, demonstrates her technical proficiency in printmaking through the use of varied line weights and cross-hatching. The composition focuses on the intimate interaction between the figures, with the Virgin Mary nursing the infant Christ while Saint Joseph sits nearby, occupied with a book. The setting is sparse, featuring a palm tree on the left and a distant, simplified architectural view in the background. Sirani employs a clear, legible style that prioritises the narrative clarity of the scene. Her approach to the drapery and the figures reflects the influence of the Bolognese school, particularly the work of Guido Reni, under whom her father studied. The etching captures a moment of quietude, contrasting the traditional urgency associated with the flight into Egypt. Sirani was one of the few women artists of her era to achieve professional success in Bologna, managing a workshop and producing a significant body of work before her premature death at age twenty-seven. This print provides insight into her graphic output, which often mirrored the themes found in her larger oil paintings. The work is characterised by its balanced composition and the delicate handling of the etched lines, which define the forms without excessive ornamentation. It remains a representative example of the religious subject matter common to the period, rendered with the specific stylistic sensibilities of the Bolognese Baroque.