Rest on the Flight into Egypt (1509, Met-Objekt 2391)
Original title: Rest on the Flight into Egypt
kurzbeschreibung
Where many contemporary Flight into Egypt scenes follow the travelers on the road, this 1509 woodcut by Lucas Cranach the Elder settles on the family's rest instead. Mary sits with the Christ Child on a bench, putti crowding around her, while a figure with a donkey stands to the left. The sheet counts as a telling example of Renaissance printmaking.
Description
Mary and the child on a bench occupy the foreground, ringed by several putti in shifting poses. On the left a figure leads a donkey by the bridle. Beyond them a landscape opens out, with trees and a village. The layout feels balanced, Mary and child forming the still point. Working in monochrome, the woodcut builds up stepped tones of gray to bring out surfaces and shadow.
Context
Cranach cut the woodblock in 1509, while serving as court painter to the Saxon electors in Wittenberg. The Flight into Egypt ranked among the most widespread subjects of the late Middle Ages and early modern period. Prints of this kind often served religious instruction and, being reproducible, reached a wide public.
Impact
Dense linework and finely graded shading give the sheet spatial depth and bodily presence. The even arrangement and the quiet treatment of the Holy Family produce a collected mood that draws the viewer toward devotion.
Technique
The image was cut in relief into a woodblock and pulled onto paper. Crisp contours and nuanced shading attest to Cranach's mastery of the medium. The upright sheet measures 28.6 × 19 cm and belongs to the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)