The Flight into Egypt (a night piece)

Artist: Rembrandt van Rijn, Dutch, 1606–1669
Date: 1651
Material: Etching, engraving, and drypoint
made in: Amsterdam, Noord-Holland province, Netherlands, Europe
Classification: Prints
Collection: Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
Current Location: Not on view
Dimensions: sheet, trimmed: 5 × 4 5/16 in. (12.7 × 11 cm)
framed (lender's frame for exhibition 2017): 20 1/2 × 15 3/8 in. (52.1 × 39.1 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mark Steinberg Weil and Phoebe Dent Weil
Rights: Public Domain
Object Number: 237:2021

NOTES

Rembrandt van Rijn shrouds the Holy Family in darkness as they flee into Egypt. He added multiple lines to represent shadow and also left a thick covering of ink on the copperplate, making the figures barely visible. Such darkness heightens the feeling of the family's isolation and hardship as they journey away from home.

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