Rest on the Flight into Egypt 1589

Jacob Matham created this engraving, "Rest on the Flight into Egypt," capturing a moment of respite for the Holy Family. The dominant image is the Virgin Mary seated beneath a tree, cradling the infant Christ, while Joseph tends to the donkey nearby. Consider the tree: a universal symbol of life and nourishment. This motif echoes through art history, from the Tree of Knowledge to the Bodhi tree, each instance imbued with its own cultural significance. The gesture of Mary holding the child appears in countless depictions of the Madonna, reflecting a primal connection between mother and child, a bond resonating deeply within our collective psyche. Note how the lines converge to create a sense of serenity, yet the scene is charged with the underlying tension of their flight, a visual representation of the psychological weight carried by these figures. The image invites us to contemplate the cyclical nature of these symbols, and the way they continually resurface.