The Flight into Egypt: Crossing a Brook

The Flight into Egypt: Crossing a Brook by Rembrandt van Rijn, dated 1654, stands as a prime example of the artist’s mastery of graphic media during the 1650s. This highly detailed print, classified as an etching and drypoint, exemplifies the rich technical sophistication found in Dutch religious narrative. The mixed medium allowed Rijn to create exceptionally dark, velvety shadows, achieved through the dense burr raised during the drypoint process. The resulting work captures a moment of quiet struggle and vulnerable pilgrimage, emphasizing the Holy Family’s fatigue as they navigate the difficult landscape.

The subject, the journey of Mary, Joseph, and the infant Christ to escape Herod’s massacre, was a powerful theme throughout Rijn's career, but this 1654 iteration displays the somber intimacy characteristic of his late style. During the period 1651 to 1700, the market for high-quality prints flourished in the Netherlands, enabling Rijn to explore experimental compositions, particularly those emphasizing dramatic chiaroscuro. Rijn uses heavy shadow and strong diagonals to draw the viewer’s eye immediately to the central action: Joseph carefully guiding the donkey, carrying Mary and the child, through the running water of the brook. This focus on domestic labor and human fatigue grounded the religious story in the observable world, appealing directly to the sensibilities of the 17th-century Dutch audience.

The careful rendering of texture, atmosphere, and the skillful integration of technique solidify the piece’s status as a key work within Rijn’s extensive graphic output. His innovative methods of combining etching with drypoint to achieve deep blacks and nuanced mid-tones set a lasting standard for printmakers across Europe. This significant artwork, embodying the artistic genius of the Dutch Golden Age, is currently held in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art.