Rest on the Flight into Egypt

Using a narrative strategy common in the 16th century, the artist tells the story of the Holy Family’s escape to Egypt by depicting the same figures more than once. In the foreground, a beautiful Virgin and Child rest in a shady glade while, in the middle distance, we see them again, atop a donkey. Never having seen the landscape of Palestine, the Flemish artist fills it with imaginary castles and buildings that would seem more at home in his own northern European countryside.