The Rest on the Flight into Egypt 1523 - 1526

The Rest on the Flight into Egypt was painted on a wood panel, by Mesteren for de kvindelige halvfigurer, sometime between 1499 and 1531. The artist used thin layers of oil paint to create this scene from the Bible, paying close attention to the textures of clothing and skin. Oil paint allowed for detailed realism and a rich, glowing quality in the colors. The artist must have had the resources to obtain pigments, grind them, and mix them with oil; ready-made paints in tubes didn't exist back then. Think about the social context: painting was commissioned by wealthy patrons or the church, and the level of detail in this panel indicates a significant investment of time and skill. The materials and processes, from the support of the panel itself to the glazing, tell a story of artistic labor and the economic realities of the time. By considering these aspects, we can see that the value of a work of art comes not only from its aesthetic qualities, but also from the story of its making.