# The Flight into Egypt

- By: Abraham Jansz. van Diepenbeeck (Flemish, 1596-1675)
- Date: c. 1650
- Medium: Oil on panel
- Classification: Painting
- 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.)
- Culture: Flanders
- Credit line: Gift of Mrs. Michael W. Straus in memory of Michael Straus
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/16497)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://invisiblenetwork.ai/thumbs/web/4eda94840d799b1fdf8d41ced9cfc5c1.jpg
- Who can see it: Tweens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

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.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0