Il Cerano (1573-1632) was an Italian painter, sculptor, and architect. He is one of the most prominent of the Milanese artists of the early 17th century whose work represents a transitional phase between Mannerism and Baroque. He was highly esteemed in his day and patronized by the Fabbrica of Milan Cathedral, the civic authorities and highly distinguished private patrons, such as the Borromeo and Gonzaga families and the House of Savoy.

The immediacy of the figures in this painting, brought right to the forefront of the picture plane, was a typical Mannerist device, as was the intricate interlocking construction of the composition. Cerano has however infused what could otherwise have been an exercise in formal pattern-making with his own deeply felt religious conviction, and has produced a moving account of the family's hurried journey from prosecution. The characters in the drama – Mary tenderly shielding Jesus within the curve of her body, Joseph with his strong sunburnt arm reining back the donkey's head as it stops to drink, the attendant angel holding up an apple to the baby – reveal Cerano's command of sculptural form and his sensitive use of colour.