The Flight into Egypt
1558
Medium
Etching on paper
Dimensions
19.2 × 27.9 cm (7 9/16 × 11 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
78624
Art Historical Context
### The Flight into Egypt Hanns Lautensack, a Nuremberg-based German printmaker active in the mid-16th century, created *The Flight into Egypt* in 1558. This etching a pivotal biblical scene from the Gospel of Matthew: the Holy Family—Mary cradling the infant Jesus, with Joseph guiding their donkey—fleeing Herod's massacre of the innocents. Lautensack, influenced by the detailed precision of Albrecht Dürer and the Nuremberg school, infused his works with intricate landscapes and narrative depth, blending religious devotion with emerging interest in nature. Etching on paper, measuring a intim...
About the Artist
Hanns Lautensack
Hanns Lautensack, born in 1524 in Bamberg, Germany, was the son of Paul Lautensack, a noted painter and organist. Alongside his brother Heinrich, a goldsmith, the family relocated to Nuremberg in 1527, where Hanns immersed himself in the vibrant artistic milieu of the city. There, he likely apprenticed with a goldsmith, honing skills in fine metalwork that informed his precise etching technique, t...