English
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt
This composition presents the Flight into Egypt as a continuous narrative. In a tiny background scene, the Holy Family emerges from the forest, en route to the contemporary Netherlandish town at the left. In the foreground Mary nurses her child in a moment of repose on their arduous journey, which the viewer is meant to follow visually. David achieved in this painting a remarkable balance of color and a serene sense of light and atmosphere. His awareness of Italian Renaissance conventions is evident in the pyramidal motif of the Virgin and Child and the use of chiaroscuro to convey the volume of the figures.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Rest on the Flight into Egypt
- Artist: Gerard David (Netherlandish, Oudewater ca. 1455–1523 Bruges)
- Date: ca. 1512–15
- Medium: Oil on wood
- Dimensions: 21 in. × 15 11/16 in. (53.3 × 39.8 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: The Jules Bache Collection, 1949
- Object Number: 49.7.21
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
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