Who painted Landscape with the Flight into Egypt?

Landscape with the Flight into Egypt was painted by Roelant Savery in 1624.

Where can I see Landscape with the Flight into Egypt?

Landscape with the Flight into Egypt is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Landscape with the Flight into Egypt?

Landscape with the Flight into Egypt is associated with Baroque.

Can I buy a print of Landscape with the Flight into Egypt?

Museum-quality prints of Landscape with the Flight into Egypt are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Landscape with the Flight into Egypt

Roelant Savery , 1624

Landscape with the Flight into Egypt is an oil painting by the Baroque artist Roelant Savery. It dates from 1624 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:lower left: .ROELANT / SAVERY FE / 1624

About this work

Subject & Meaning

This synthesis of genre and narrative reflects the artwork's meaning as a devotional image embedded in a landscape format.

The painting depicts the biblical episode of the Flight into Egypt, a subject identified in the work's title. It combines a naturalistic landscape with a religious narrative, situating the Holy Family within an idealized scenery typical of early-17th-century religious landscape painting. The iconography follows traditional representations of the flight, emphasizing movement and divine protection, while the surrounding terrain serves as symbolic context for the sacred story.

This synthesis of genre and narrative reflects the artwork's meaning as a devotional image embedded in a landscape format.

History & Provenance

The painting Landscape with the Flight into Egypt was created in 1624 by Roelandt Savery. Its provenance begins with Anthony Speelman of London, who noted in a 1993 letter that the work had been acquired circa 1890 in Berne by the previous owner's family. By 1988 it belonged to Robert H. Smith of Washington, D.C., and was offered at Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York on 14 January 1988 (lot 86), where it was bought in and returned to Smith.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith subsequently donated the painting to the National Gallery of Art in 1989. No records of an original commission survive.

Overview

Painted in 1624, Roelandt Savery's Landscape with the Flight into Egypt is an oil-on-panel work that reinterprets the biblical journey of the Holy Family through the artist's signature style of detailed, fantastical nature. The composition centers on a rocky path winding through a dense, verdant forest, where Joseph, Mary, and the infant Jesus travel alongside a large menagerie of domestic and exotic animals, including cows, sheep, and birds. A crumbling stone tower anchors the mid-ground, serving as a ruin that contrasts with the lush, overgrown vegetation surrounding it.

Savery populates the scene with a profusion of flora and fauna, reflecting his deep interest in natural history and his tendency to prioritize intricate observation of the natural world over strict narrative clarity. The bright sky, filled with fluffy clouds, illuminates the varied textures of the foliage and the animals' coats. Created during the height of Savery's career in the Dutch Republic, this work exemplifies his contribution to the development of the independent landscape genre, where the biblical subject often serves as a pretext for showcasing a richly imagined, teeming ecosystem rather than a dramatic religious event.

Technique & Style

Savery employs a detailed and lively style, rendering a dense forest scene filled with activity. The composition features a rocky path where figures herd livestock, while birds animate the bright, cloud-filled sky. A prominent crumbling stone tower, overgrown with vines, adds a sense of age to the environment.

The interplay of light and shadow across the varied terrain and foliage contributes to the dynamic quality of the scene, creating depth and visual interest.

Tyrolean Landscape (The Flight into Egypt), Roelant Savery

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Artist & collection

Artist

Roelant Savery

Roelant Savery (or Roeland(t) Maertensz Saverij, or de Savery, or many variants; 1576 – buried 25 February 1639) was a Flanders-born Dutch Golden Age painter.