The Flight into Egypt

c. 1650

The flight into Egypt—a common subject in European art—refers to an episode in the life of Christ when his family fled King Herod, who sought to kill the infant Jesus. Abraham van Diepenbeeck made the theme his own by including an angel and the inquisitive cow at bottom right. This panel was not intended to be a finished painting; it is instead a grisaille (monochrome grey) oil sketch, which could then translated into an engraving.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

Abraham van Diepenbeeck (Flemish, 1596-1675)

Date

c. 1650

Medium

Oil on panel

Dimensions

43.8 × 31.8 cm (17 1/4 × 12 1/2 in.); Framed: 64.8 × 53.4 × 10.2 cm (25 1/2 × 21 × 4 in.)

Origin

Flanders

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Michael W. Straus in memory of Michael Straus