Flight into Egypt (after Martin Schongauer)
- Artist: Germany (Cologne) 16th century (Artists)
- Date: 1500
- Medium: oil on panel
- Museum: The Courtauld Gallery
- Collection record: The Courtauld Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Flight into Egypt (after Martin Schongauer)”. Painted in Cologne, Germany, around 1500, it reflects the style of early 16th‑century Northern European art. The medium is oil on panel, a common choice for detailed narrative scenes of that period.
The composition captures the Holy Family’s journey to safety, a motif that resonated deeply in the Reformation era. The artist’s brushwork shows a careful rendering of the landscape’s contours and the figures’ modest clothing, hinting at the modesty that was prized in contemporary devotional art. The choice to base the work on Schongauer’s engraving illustrates the exchange between print and panel painting in the 1500s; the engraver’s bold lines are softened by the oil medium, giving the scene a more luminous quality.
Despite its small size, the panel invites viewers into a quiet moment of travel and faith. The use of oil allows subtle shifts in color that suggest twilight or dawn, echoing the sense of hope and uncertainty that accompanies the biblical narrative. This work exemplifies how regional artists adapted widespread themes to their own cultural context while engaging with the broader artistic currents of early modern Europe.
See it in person
Flight into Egypt (after Martin Schongauer) hangs in The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, London. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
