"The Flight into Egypt" by Rembrandt van Rijn, created in 1628, is an early and intimate example of the artist's continuous engagement with biblical narrative executed in the demanding medium of print on paper. Dating from Rijn's formative years in Leiden, this work showcases his early command of intaglio techniques. The piece conveys a delicate sense of quiet urgency, depicting the moment the Holy Family flees the massacre of the innocents ordered by King Herod, representing a core New Testament subject popular throughout 17th-century Dutch culture.
Rijn utilized subtle gradations of light and shadow, characteristic of his mature style, to heighten the emotional vulnerability of the figures. Joseph leads the donkey carrying Mary and the Christ child; their small forms are almost enveloped by the surrounding darkness, a visual strategy Rijn often employed to focus attention and deepen mood. Unlike his later, more robustly modeled etchings, this early print emphasizes linear delicacy.
This historically significant artwork is part of the extensive collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which houses superb holdings of the Dutch Golden Age master’s graphic output. As a celebrated work of European art history now widely considered to be in the public domain, high-quality records of these original 17th-century prints are continually studied by scholars globally.
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