Juli 17th century

This small, anonymous engraving presents us with what seems like a simple journey, yet it resonates with profound cultural and historical echoes. The most immediate symbol is the family upon the donkey, a motif that harkens back to the biblical flight into Egypt. We see the mother, child, and father, their poses weighted with the gravity of their journey, a symbol of escape and the search for refuge that is deeply embedded in our collective consciousness. But consider how this motif has traveled through time. From ancient Egyptian depictions of family life to Renaissance paintings of the Holy Family, the image of the family unit, fraught with vulnerability and hope, recurs. Here, the artist taps into this deep well of human experience, engaging viewers on a primal level. This scene reminds us of the constant, cyclical nature of human experience, reappearing in different guises across the ages.