Rest on the Flight into Egypt

This is one of the first paintings done by the great painter from Lombardy during his stay in Rome. The iconography is that of the Holy Family relaxing to music in the countryside played by an angel on a violin. The musical theme brought about interest in commissioning the work on the part of the Oratoriani of San Filippo Neri. The Gallery holds another two important canvases by Caravaggio: the Magdalen and Saint John the Baptist in the Desert, the latter being almost identical to the painting at the Capitoline Museums.

THINGS TO KNOW: Curiosity: The sheet music in the hands of Saint Peter hides a real piece of music. In recent years, there have been concerts dedicated to reproducing the musical notes found in the paintings of Caravaggio.