Old Masters · Matthew 2:14 · 5 October 2026 · 4 works

The Flight into Egypt

When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

After Christmas: a family on the road by night, and the rest along the way.

Mary sits upright on the donkey as on a throne, the child tied to her in a sling. Joseph walks ahead and looks back. An angel flies above them and points the way.

Giotto, The Flight into Egypt, c. 1305 — **Giotto**, The Flight into Egypt, c. 1305

Night. A family moves along the edge of a wood: the man holds a small torch, the woman rides. Far to the left shepherds sit by a fire. Above everything stands a sky full of stars, and the full moon is mirrored in the water.

Adam Elsheimer, The Flight into Egypt, 1609 — **Adam Elsheimer**, The Flight into Egypt, 1609

The family has stopped to rest. Mary has fallen asleep with her cheek on the child's head. Joseph sits on a sack and holds up a book of music for an angel, who stands with his back to us and plays the violin.

Caravaggio, Rest on the Flight into Egypt, c. 1597 — **Caravaggio**, Rest on the Flight into Egypt, c. 1597

A wide, dark landscape with a river. At the foot of a wooded slope a small fire burns, and around it a few figures have gathered. The fire is mirrored in the water. High up on the hill a few windows are lit.

Rembrandt, Landscape with the Rest on the Flight into Egypt, 1647 — **Rembrandt**, Landscape with the Rest on the Flight into Egypt, 1647