Description

The flight into Egypt—a common subject in European art—refers to an episode in the life of Christ when his family fled King Herod, who sought to kill the infant Jesus. Abraham van Diepenbeeck made the theme his own by including an angel and the inquisitive cow at bottom right. This panel was not intended to be a finished painting; it is instead a grisaille (monochrome grey) oil sketch, which was then translated into an engraving. Collaborating with printmakers could be lucrative for painters while also providing an opportunity to advertise their artistry more widely.

Provenance

Fondatie Terninck in the parish of Saint George, Antwerp, by about 1748, [with four other grisailles by Diepenbeeck according to De Bosschere 1910, p. 147, reprinting the manuscript description of Jacob de Wit from about 1748; see also Steadman 1982]; probably dispersed by 1767 [Steadman 1982]. Michael Straus (died 1943), Hinsdale, Illinois, possibly from 1893 [a letter of December 18, 1963 from his son Michael W. Straus to John Maxon states that his father had acquired the painting, then attributed to Anthony van Dyck, in connection with his role in the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, copy in curatorial file]; by descent to Michael W. Straus, Washington, D.C.; given to the Art Institute, 1963.

The Flight into Egypt

Abraham Jansz. van Diepenbeeck

c. 1650

Accession Number

16497

Medium

Oil on panel

Dimensions

43.8 × 31.8 cm (17 1/4 × 12 1/2 in.); Framed: 64.8 × 53.4 × 10.2 cm (25 1/2 × 21 × 4 in.)

Classification

oil on panel

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. Michael W. Straus in memory of Michael Straus