Pieter Brueghel the Elder, The Flight Into Egypt, 1553-57

Artist: Pieter Brueghel the Elder (1525 - 1569)
Title:The Flight Into Egypt, 1553-57
Reference:B.15, Holl. 15
Medium:Original Engraving
Image Size:16 1/8 in x 12 3/4 in (41 cm x 32.4 cm)
Sheet Size:16 1/8 in x 12 3/4 in (41 cm x 32.4 cm)
Framed Size:33 3/8 in x 29 5/8 in (84.8 cm x 75.2 cm)
Signature:The signature of Bruegel is inscribed in the lower right: 'brueghel inue| H. cock excud.'
Condition:A wonderful, warm impression with delicate printing and light plate tone; minor marginal faults characteristic of works of this age; central vertical fold mostly only visible from back.
ID #w-3228

Historical Description

Originally engraved in 1553-7, this exquisite landscape print was engraved under Brueghel's direction by Jan and Lucas van Duetecum. Inscribed in the lower right: 'brueghel inue| H. cock excud,' this work is a State B impression. This work is printed on a fine, laid paper with unidentified counter watermark 'A.'

Captured in a moments rest while in the midst of their flight into Egypt, a couple and their small baby sit in the lower left. The mother and child radiate with the lightness of their features, while contrasting deep shadows surround them. This piece is intricately shaded with a significant amount of hatched lines throughout the work, most noticeable in the trees and rocks in the foreground. Spanning back across the landscape, a forest of trees extend across the rocky outcrop with two waterfalls extending below. In a valley, small buildings are scattered with larger mountains across the horizon. The sky contains delicate clouds and four birds flying above this idealistic setting.

Documented and Illustrated in:
1. Bastelaer, René van. The Prints of Peter Bruegel the Elder, Catalogue Raisonné New Edition, Alan Wofsy Fine Arts: San Francisco, 1992. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 15 on pg. 63.

2. Lavalley, Jacques. Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Lucas van Leyden, Harry N. Abrams, Inc: New York. Listed and illustrated as catalogue no. 15

3. Orenstein, Nadine M., ed. for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Pieter Bruegel the Elder: Drawings and Prints, Yale University Press: New Haven, 2001. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 33 on pg. 133-134.

4. Sellink, M. Pieter Bruegel: The Complete Paintings, Drawings and Prints. Ludion: NY, 2007. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no.34 on pg. 78.

5. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

About the Framing:
Museum grade conservation framed in a complementary moulding with silk mats and optical grade Plexiglas.

Subject Matter: Landscape