Herman van SwaneveltDutch, 1603–1655The Flight into Egypt
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “The Flight into Egypt” now? Collection: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Cleveland, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
This series by Herman Swanevelt, The Flight into Egypt, illustrates an event from the New Testament of the Bible. Joseph, Mary, and Christ fled into Egypt to escape King Herod's persecution. Traditionally represented as a single image, Swanevelt enlarged the story into four scenes. The Holy family is first shown traveling with three angels behind them, then Joseph helps Mary off the donkey, next Joseph leads the donkey to water as Mary changes the child, and finally the family is at rest. However, the main focus of each of these prints is the depiction of landscape, a genre that reached unprecedented levels of popularity during the 1600s. The scenery, looking much more like the Italian countryside than Egypt, was inspired by Swanevelt's paintings. Although he was Dutch, he spent most of his career in Paris and Rome. As a painter, he was known for his ability to convey warm, glowing sunlight, a quality also found in his etchings.
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Details
- Accession number
- 1987.92
In the catalog
Sources
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image: The Cleveland Museum of Art — Museum open access
In the life of Herman van Swanevelt
The whole life1650
Marriage to Suzanne Rousseau
In 1650 Swanevelt married Suzanne Rousseau.
1651
Admission to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture
In 1651 Swanevelt was admitted to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. In France he enjoyed the patronage of Cardinal Richelieu and King Louis XIV.
1655
Died
