Flight into Egypt

Tivoli, the hill town about 30 kilometres east of Rome, was known for its waterfalls and ancient ruins. Look at the far left of this small panel. On a cliff above the falls stands a round temple, identified with the town's temple of the Sibyl. So the Holy Family, fleeing into Egypt, travels through a landscape from just outside Rome. The choice may be deliberate. In a medieval legend the sibyl of Tivoli foretold the birth of Christ to the emperor Augustus. In the foreground the Virgin rides the donkey, and the Child reaches out his hand to Joseph, who walks beside them. Critics have dated the panel anywhere from 1592 to 1615. The museum places it around 1595. It seems to have passed straight from the painter to Cardinal Scipione Borghese, who in 1617 paid to have its frame gilded.