Rest on the Flight into Egypt (David, Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp)

The Rest on the Flight into Egypt is an oil painting of around 1515 by the Flemish painter Gerard David now in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.[1] It can be compared with other works on the same theme by the same painter in Madrid, Washington and New York and a Virgin and Child in Rotterdam.

Rest on the Flight into Egypt
ArtistGerard David 
Yearc.1515
Dimensions81 cm (32 in)
LocationRoyal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
Accession No.47 
IdentifiersRKDimages ID: 45632

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.

The Antwerp version replaces the Prado version's background scene of the Flight into Egypt with a scene of Joseph and the donkey resting. It is held by some to be a copy by Adrian Isenbrandt.[3]

References
  1. Mª Ángeles Piquero López. "El Descanso… del Museo del Prado" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2017-06-14.
  2. "David, Rest on the Flight into Egypt". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
  3. "David, Rest on the Flight into Egypt". Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
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