Rest on the Flight to Egypt
Panel
ca. 1830-1840 (made)
ca. 1830-1840 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The subject of the ‘Rest on the Flight to Egypt’ is taken from the Gospel of St Matthew (2:13–15). This event in the life of Jesus Christ occurred after the visit of the Magi.
When the Magi were following the star, they were questioned by Herod, king of the Roman-controlled province in which Christ was born. The Magi had told him that they were seeking the ‘King of the Jews’. This worried Herod, and he asked the Magi to return to him after they had found the new king and to tell him where he was.
An angel appeared to the Magi in their sleep and warned them not to return to Herod. Joseph, the husband of Mary, was also warned by an angel to flee and take his family to Egypt until after Herod’s death. Herod was enraged and ordered a massacre of all infant youths in and near Bethlehem.
In the 14th century artists began to modify the by-then traditional imagery of the ‘Flight to Egypt’. The image here is in a peaceful pastoral setting. Mary rests on a bale of hay and holds the infant Christ on her lap. Joseph stands slightly behind, looking down on the mother and child.
Albrecht Dürer, from Nuremberg in Germany, trained as a painter and engraver at the end of the 15th century. He died in 1528. His work was widely celebrated in his own time and continues to exercise a powerful influence on artists today. The creator of this 19th-century stained-glass panel was carrying on a long tradition of copying the engravings of Dürer.
When the Magi were following the star, they were questioned by Herod, king of the Roman-controlled province in which Christ was born. The Magi had told him that they were seeking the ‘King of the Jews’. This worried Herod, and he asked the Magi to return to him after they had found the new king and to tell him where he was.
An angel appeared to the Magi in their sleep and warned them not to return to Herod. Joseph, the husband of Mary, was also warned by an angel to flee and take his family to Egypt until after Herod’s death. Herod was enraged and ordered a massacre of all infant youths in and near Bethlehem.
In the 14th century artists began to modify the by-then traditional imagery of the ‘Flight to Egypt’. The image here is in a peaceful pastoral setting. Mary rests on a bale of hay and holds the infant Christ on her lap. Joseph stands slightly behind, looking down on the mother and child.
Albrecht Dürer, from Nuremberg in Germany, trained as a painter and engraver at the end of the 15th century. He died in 1528. His work was widely celebrated in his own time and continues to exercise a powerful influence on artists today. The creator of this 19th-century stained-glass panel was carrying on a long tradition of copying the engravings of Dürer.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Rest on the Flight to Egypt (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Clear glass with silver staining and painted details |
| Brief description | Stained and painted glass panel depicting the Holy Family and the Rest on the Flight to Egypt. Made in Germany about 1830 to 1840. |
| Physical description | The Virgin sits on a hay rack in the centre of the panel. She is wearing a light-coloured gown with embroidered detailing at the neck. Over this she wears a dark orange-yellow cloak with an attached hood covering her head. She holds the naked Christ Child on her left knee. He has a necklace, seemingly composed of pearls, around his neck and is playing with a book which rests on the Virgin's lap. Slightly behind them is the elderly Joseph who wears a light-coloured hooded cloak, the hood down. He holds his hat in his left hand and in his right is his walking stick. At their feet, in the foreground of the panel, are three frolicking rabbits. Behind them in the distance is a village nestled in a rolling landscape. There is a church with a steeple in the far background. There is also a lake with a person on a boat in the centre. The Holy Family are separated from the background by a brick/stone wall which connects with a towered gate. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | THE REST ON THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT
Copied from a woodcut of 1496-97 by Albrecht Dürer.
German, probably about 1830-40
Museum no. 1258-1855((PW) 2004) |
| Production | Copied from a woodcut of 1496-97 by Albrecht Dürer. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Literary reference | New Testament |
| Summary | The subject of the ‘Rest on the Flight to Egypt’ is taken from the Gospel of St Matthew (2:13–15). This event in the life of Jesus Christ occurred after the visit of the Magi. When the Magi were following the star, they were questioned by Herod, king of the Roman-controlled province in which Christ was born. The Magi had told him that they were seeking the ‘King of the Jews’. This worried Herod, and he asked the Magi to return to him after they had found the new king and to tell him where he was. An angel appeared to the Magi in their sleep and warned them not to return to Herod. Joseph, the husband of Mary, was also warned by an angel to flee and take his family to Egypt until after Herod’s death. Herod was enraged and ordered a massacre of all infant youths in and near Bethlehem. In the 14th century artists began to modify the by-then traditional imagery of the ‘Flight to Egypt’. The image here is in a peaceful pastoral setting. Mary rests on a bale of hay and holds the infant Christ on her lap. Joseph stands slightly behind, looking down on the mother and child. Albrecht Dürer, from Nuremberg in Germany, trained as a painter and engraver at the end of the 15th century. He died in 1528. His work was widely celebrated in his own time and continues to exercise a powerful influence on artists today. The creator of this 19th-century stained-glass panel was carrying on a long tradition of copying the engravings of Dürer. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1258-1855 |
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| Record created | August 9, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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