252 - “The Flight into Egypt”

“The Flight into Egypt” Painted carved wooden panel. Blackened back. Bas-relief depicting the biblical scene of the Flight into Egypt, with Mary and the Child perched on a mule and Joseph holding its reins. The background depicts an Eastern landscape, with a village in the distance and trees and vegetation in the foreground. In a palm tree, a man standing in a shelter is cutting the tree’s branches*. In the lower section, the following inscriptions are engraved in relief: “1625 - QUID FURIS HERODES FRUSTRA FUERIS USQUE FURORE QUE QUERI CUM MATRE PUER PHARIA ” (perhaps translated as “Why do you act in vain, Herod, in your fury, pursuing the Child with his mother?” in Matthew chapter 2, verse 16). A tab at the bottom of the panel (was it used to insert it into an altarpiece or a larger composition?). 17th century H. 32.5 cm - W. 20.5 cm SSE Damage, pitting, and losses. Later patina. Later hanging ring. *This depicts a foreshadowing of the Passion of Christ: Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem is celebrated by the crowds, who laid palm branches on his path as a sign of honor and gratitude. It is also commemorated by Christians on Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week.