The Holy Family in Egypt, from The Life of the Virgin

The Holy Family in Egypt, from The Life of the Virgin by Albrecht Dürer German, 1471-1528, is a seminal work executed during the artist’s most prolific period of printmaking. Dating to 1502, this piece is an impression from the influential series The Life of the Virgin, which demonstrated Dürer’s technical genius in disseminating complex narrative art across Europe. The work is a woodcut printed in black ink on ivory laid paper, though the effects of time have caused the paper to discolor slightly to a soft gray tone, a common characteristic of five-hundred-year-old prints.

The composition centers on the biblical subject of the rest taken by Mary and Joseph during their flight from King Herod. Unlike contemporary Italian interpretations, Dürer sets the scene within a richly detailed Northern European forest environment. Mary is depicted weaving or sewing while seated beneath a cluster of trees, surrounded by bustling angelic putti assisting with domestic tasks, lending the miraculous journey a quality of everyday domesticity.

This high-quality example showcases the revolutionary detail Dürer achieved in the woodcut medium, transforming the print from a simple outline into a complex vehicle for shading and volume. This mastery helped solidify his reputation as the foremost Renaissance artist in Germany. The ability to mass-produce and distribute such intricate images helped revolutionize how religious narratives were consumed throughout the 16th century. This historic impression of The Holy Family in Egypt is maintained in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, serving as a critical example of early Northern European prints, many of which now belong to the public domain for study and appreciation.