Rest of the Holy Family during the Flight into Egypt

Rest on the Flight into Egypt is a famous Christian theme which has been used by artists for many centuries as inspiration for a painting or fresco

Anthony van Dyck himself produced several versions along these lines, with the painting displayed here arriving in around 1630. There is seldom little information available on this particular painting, particularly when placed in comparison with some of the artist's more famous paintings.

There have been several written publications in Italy that have discussed this work and several art historians have taken the time to translate passages of this into English. Even with this, there is still very little information beyond just the standard meta detail such as when the painting was created, its size and so forth.

The fact that Van Dyck produced another painting on this theme has also led to some confusion on occasions when the documentation found has not made it clear which one it was referring to. The painting that you see here is now in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich and is accurately dated at 1630. Artist Van Dyck would have been entering his 30s at that point, with still some further development as an artist awaiting him.

Anthony van Dyck was one of the most skilled portrait painters and a star of the flemish group of artists who produced some of the finest art to have come from Northern Europe. Many aspects of his work would become common place in future generations of artists, both in his native flemish regions plus also England, where much of his later work was completed.

The Alte Pinakothek in Munich hosts several paintings by other notable names from the flemish and german regions. You will, for example, also find original paintings by the likes of Hans Holbein, Hieronymus Bosch, Hans Memling, Rembrandt and Pieter Bruegel here.