Basic Information

Historical Context

A woodcut from the Life of the Virgin series depicting the Holy Family resting during their flight into Egypt. This intimate scene shows the tenderness of the family relationship. [Inferred from Dürer Catalog] Visual Description The Virgin sits on the ground nursing the Christ Child while Joseph gathers food or tends to the donkey. The scene is set in a lush landscape with trees and a stream. The peacefulness of the moment contrasts with the urgency of the flight. Flowers and plants are rendered with botanical precision. Artistic Analysis Dürer's Rest on the Flight combines devotional narrative with genre-like naturalism. The everyday details — Joseph's practical tasks, the nursing Virgin, the lush vegetation — ground the sacred story in recognizable human experience. The botanical precision of the foreground plants demonstrates Dürer's dual commitment to artistic beauty and empirical observation.