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The Miracle of the Palm Tree on the Flight to Egypt

ca. 1490–1510
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 305
This sculpture, probably from a retable (decoration behind an altar) depicting Jesus commanding the palm tree to bend down so that the Holy Family could eat its fruit, is based upon New Testament Apocrypha, episodes from the life of Jesus not recounted in the Gospels. The composition is derived from an engraving by Martin Schongauer, dated about 1476.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Miracle of the Palm Tree on the Flight to Egypt
  • Date: ca. 1490–1510
  • Geography: Made in Spain
  • Culture: Spanish
  • Medium: Walnut, gesso, paint, and gilding
  • Dimensions: 49 3/4 × 36 1/2 × 10 1/2 in., 110 lb. (126.4 × 92.7 × 26.7 cm, 49.9 kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture-Wood
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1938
  • Object Number: 38.184
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

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