DAVID, Gerard
(b. ca. 1460, Oudewater, d. 1523, Bruges)

Rest during the Flight to Egypt

c. 1515
Oil on panel, 60 x 39 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid

Gerard David interpreted with great originality the theme of Rest during the Flight to Egypt. The Virgin and Child are placed in the centre in a landscape. A tiny depiction of the Holy Family on its way to Egypt can be seen in the background on the right. The influence of Renaissance art, especially Leonardo, is clearly visible, notably in the use of sfumato and the atmospheric variations of the background.