Rest on the Flight into Egypt (David, New York)
| Rest on the Flight into Egypt | |
|---|---|
| The Rest on the Flight into Egypt | |
.jpg) | |
| Artist | Gerard David  |
| Year | c. 1515 |
| Medium | Oil paint, panel |
| Movement | Early Netherlandish painting |
| Dimensions | 50.8 cm (20.0 in) × 43.2 cm (17.0 in) |
| Location | Metropolitan Museum of Art |
| Accession No. | 49.7.21 |
| Identifiers | RKDimages ID: 43968 The Met object ID: 436101 |
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt is an oil painting of around 1515 by the Flemish painter Gerard David now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[1]
Description
[edit]It can be compared with other works on the same theme by the same painter in Madrid, Washington, and Antwerp and a Virgin and Child in Rotterdam. The composition is near-identical to the Madrid and Washington examples, though the New York one shows an apple branch instead of a basket.
The Flight into Egypt derives from the Gospel of Matthew (II.13-18), though it does not mention a rest, which derives from apocryphal accounts. It was a popular theme for painters in many periods. David painted it on several occasions using different compositions,[2] possibly not as the result of commissions but simply painted to put on the open market. Many of them are near-identical but for a few small details. However, in all of them David focuses attention on the seated Virgin Mary breastfeeding the Christ Child, enthroned in front of a deep forest landscape background. In the far background there is usually a scene related to either the rest or to the journey to Egypt.
References
[edit]- ^ Mª Ángeles Piquero López. "El Descanso… del Museo del Prado" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2017-06-14.
- ^ "David, Rest on the Flight into Egypt". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2017-06-14.