The Flight into Egypt

The Flight into Egypt is a defining early print by the French Baroque artist Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée), executed between 1625 and 1636. This particular impression is a fine etching, documented by cataloguers as the rare first state of four, highlighting the initial clarity and detail of the plate before subsequent alterations. While Lorrain is internationally recognized for his monumental idealized paintings, he produced a modest but highly influential body of prints that allowed his compositions to circulate widely.

The work captures the pivotal biblical narrative of the Holy Family’s escape from Herod. Lorrain stages the drama within an atmospheric landscape typical of his style, where dense trees frame the composition and draw the viewer’s eye into deep space. The primary human figures of the Virgin Mary and the Christ child are positioned centrally, mounted upon a horse or donkey, proceeding through the countryside. Subtle angels hover high above, suggesting divine guidance and protection over the travelers. As an accomplished printmaker, Lorrain utilized the intricate, delicate lines of etching to achieve the subtle effects of light and shadow, demonstrating his precise control over the medium.

Created relatively early in the artist’s career, this piece provides valuable insight into Lorrain’s commitment to combining classical landscape conventions with sacred history. This impression resides in the extensive collection of European prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Given the age and institutional ownership of the original plates, high-resolution versions of this work are widely accessible in the public domain for academic and artistic study.