The canvas is unlined. The paint surface is in stable condition and the original bold colors and highlights read well against the dark background. A very fine web of craquelure is present throughout and stable. An inconsistency in the paint surface measuring 2 inches across and one inch tall, perhaps to amend thinning paint, is visible to the naked eye in the upper right in the trees. Under UV inspection, very small retouches are visible throughout the upper background and along the shoulder and arm of the crouching figure at lower left, in areas of dark shadow. Minor retouching is visible along all four edges of the painting to address frame abrasion. The aforementioned area of inconsistency at upper right fluoresces as an area of repair. The painting would likely benefit from a varnish but can hang as is. Offered in a decoratively carved gilt wood frame.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Crespi depicted the Flight into Egypt on several occasions, but the Holy Family pursued by robbers is an unusual variation on the story that comes from the apocryphal Infancy of Jesus gospel. The active composition and bright touches of blue and red against the dark forest setting convey fear. This composition is nearly identical to that of a larger version dated 1740-45, last seen in 1995 at Gallerie Lingenauer, Düsseldorf.¹ The present lot may have functioned as a modello or a ricordi for the larger painting, although Crespi pushed the figural groups closer together here.  The kneeling man at lower left also appears in Christ Mocked (1735-40) at the Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna.² 1. See A. Emiliani & A.B. Rave (eds.), Giuseppe Maria Crespi 1665-1747, exhibition catalogue, Bologna 1990, pp. 238-239; M.P. Merriman, Giuseppe Maria Crespi, Milan 1980, p. 243, no. 32. 
2. M.P. Merriman (op. cit.), pp. 251-2, no. 54.