The Flight into Egypt

"The Flight into Egypt" by Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée) is an exceptional early example of the artist's printmaking career, created between 1625 and 1636. This print is an etching, specifically documented as the fourth state of four (Mannocci), demonstrating Lorrain’s methodical and evolving technical approach to the medium. Although primarily celebrated for his idealized, classical landscape paintings, this print allowed Lorrain to explore narrative composition and detailed figure work characteristic of the French Baroque tradition.

The subject matter illustrates the pivotal biblical journey of the Holy Family fleeing persecution by King Herod. Lorrain depicts the Virgin Mary, carefully holding the infant Jesus, mounted on a horse or mule, led through a dense grouping of Trees. The composition includes guiding Angels who gesture toward the path ahead, adding a layer of divine intervention to the perilous earthly journey. The quality of the etching medium allows Lorrain to achieve deep shadows and a luminous atmosphere, focusing the viewer’s attention on the sacred figures emerging from the dark, imposing terrain.

This early work provides valuable insight into how Lorrain handled figural subjects before committing fully to the pure, idealized landscape compositions for which he is most famous. This piece, like many of the artist’s known prints, shows the meticulousness that elevated the status of etching during the 17th century. It remains an important document of devotional printmaking and is currently housed in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.