Vlucht naar Egypte en de drie wijzen Possibly 1700 - 1865

This is a monochrome print by van der Haeghen depicting the Flight into Egypt and the Adoration of the Magi. The two scenes are presented here in horizontal registers, with a clear cultural perspective; observe how the three kings are attributed to the three known continents, a common trope of the period that reflects the era’s geopolitical understanding of the world and the Church's universal mission. The print probably dates from the 17th or 18th century, a time when religious prints were commonly produced for private devotion and the illustration of religious texts. To fully appreciate this print, we could delve deeper into the visual traditions and theological interpretations of the Flight into Egypt and the Adoration of the Magi through historical texts and comparative analyses of similar artworks. Art, after all, is as much a product of its time as it is a reflection of timeless stories.