Pier Francesco Mola, ca. 1641 A generation of Italian artists preceding Mola, including Francesco Albani and Domenichino, had pioneered the meticulous depiction of elegant landscapes in oil on copper. This work, painted before Mola arrived in Rome in 1647, gives the conventional biblical subject of Mary and Joseph fleeing the wrath of King Herod the charm of an idyllic day in the country. This approach was popularized in the previous century by Titian, whose pastoral landscapes Mola emulated on a small scale suited for hanging in a study or bedroom. From The Met Museum collection