1472
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
The Flight into Egypt is a 1472 by Martin Schongauer, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
Mary rides a donkey under a palm tree, baby Jesus in her arms. Five angels tug at the branches above them. This quiet moment comes from an old story not in the Bible. Jesus tells the tree to bend so Joseph can pick dates—here, the angels do the work instead. The print feels like a snapshot, not a grand scene. Look up *chiaroscuro* to see how light and shadow shape this kind of work.
According to the apocryphal Gospel by Pseudo-Matthew, while resting in Egypt after fleeing the Massacre of the Innocents and their home in Israel, the Virgin Mary asked Joseph to harvest some dates from a palm. As Joseph could not reach the fruits on the three, Jesus ordered the plant to bend down. Martin Schongauer's print is clearly inspired by this episode. the Virgin Mary is shown holding him and riding on a donkey, which is momentarily resting under a palm. Five hovering angels are pulling down the top of the tree to enable Joseph to pick dates. This print belongs to a set of four…
The inclusion of tropical details such as the dragon tree, parrot, and lizards could be evidence of Martin Schongauer's trip to Spain during his Wanderjahre (apprenticeship trip) in the 1460s.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Martin Schongauer, also known as Martin Schön or Hübsch Martin by his contemporaries, was an Alsatian engraver and painter.
See the richer artist page
