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View at the museum ↗The Flight into Egypt
Abraham Jansz. van Diepenbeeckc. 1650
- Attribution
- Abraham van Diepenbeeck (Flemish, 1596-1675)
- Medium
- Oil on panel
- Physical 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.)
- Credit line
- Gift of Mrs. Michael W. Straus in memory of Michael Straus
Museum metadata is available under CC0. Image availability and rights are separate; consult the source record.
Source rights statement: Public domain
View the museum record ↗From the museum
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 was then translated into an engraving. Collaborating with printmakers could be lucrative for painters while also providing an opportunity to advertise their artistry more widely.
Description: Art Institute of Chicago · CC BY 4.0