Flight into Egypt
17th century
Medium
Etching on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 29.4 × 43.4 cm (11 5/8 × 17 1/8 in.); Sheet: 43.2 × 59 cm (17 1/16 × 23 1/4 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
117998
Art Historical Context
**Flight into Egypt** by Sébastien Bourdon captures a pivotal biblical moment from the Gospel of Matthew: the Holy Family's hurried escape to Egypt to evade King Herod's massacre of innocents. Created in the 17th century, this reflects Bourdon's mastery as a French Baroque artist, known for his dramatic compositions blending Caravaggesque tenebrism—deep shadows and intense light—with classical French elegance. Bourdon, who trained in Paris and Rome, often depicted religious narratives with emotional depth, making sacred stories accessible and vivid. Printed on luxurious ivory laid paper, the ...
About the Artist
Sébastien Bourdon · 1616–1671
Sébastien Bourdon (1616–1671) was a French Baroque painter of remarkable versatility and restless ambition, whose career carried him from the workshops of Paris to the courts of Rome and Stockholm before he returned to France to become a founding member of one of Europe's most important artistic institutions. Born on 2 February 1616 in Montpellier into a Protestant family, Bourdon was apprenticed ...