Rembrandt – The Flight into Egypt

The Flight into Egypt is a night scene Rembrandt painted in 1627, aged 21: Mary with the infant Jesus on the donkey and Joseph leading it merge into one group in the dark, and a mysterious light behind a thistle separates them from the shadows. The original is a small wooden panel, 26 cm high and 24 cm wide, in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Tours, France. We paint it by hand in oil on canvas in 8 portrait sizes, from 45 x 50 to 163 x 180 cm, or to your own measurement, and show you the finished painting in a photograph before sending it.

The Flight into Egypt – Rembrandt

What does The Flight into Egypt show?

In the dead of night Joseph walks beside the donkey on which Mary sits with the child in her arms. The museum in Tours writes that the three, at the centre of the scene, seem to merge into a single figure surrounded by darkness.

In front grows a thistle, and behind it shines a mysterious light that moves the family away from the shadow – a symbol of evil, according to the museum. The clothes and Joseph’s carpentry tools are carefully painted, which is typical of Rembrandt’s first works.

What is the story of the flight into Egypt?

The story is in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 2. When the Magi told King Herod of the birth of the king of the Jews, Herod ordered all the boys in Bethlehem under two years old to be killed.

Warned in a dream, Joseph left the town by night with Mary and Jesus and fled to Egypt. Rembrandt painted exactly that night journey.

Why is this small painting important?

Because it shows Rembrandt at the start of his career. He had trained with Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam and then set up as a painter in Leiden; in this work, the museum says, he left behind his teacher’s light palette and turned for the first time in earnest to the play of light and dark.

The paint is fluid and smooth in places, rough and brushed in others, and announces the great works of his maturity. There is a short entry in the Wikipedia article too.

Is it really by Rembrandt?

Yes. Who painted it was long debated; in 2001 the researchers of the Rembrandt Research Project attributed it to Rembrandt, ending half a century of controversy, the museum writes.

It is one of the most important paintings in the Tours collection, which has held it since 1950 under inventory number 1793-1-2, the gift of Madame Benjamin Chaussemiche.

The Flight into Egypt or another Rembrandt?

The Flight into Egypt suits a bedroom, a nursery or the corner with the nativity scene, quiet and warm despite the night. The start of the same story, the birth in the stable, is shown in The Adoration of the Shepherds, where light also cuts through the dark.

For a scene of homecoming there is The Return of the Prodigal Son, for storm and fear The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, and for struggle and blessing Jacob Wrestling with the Angel. More famous Rembrandt paintings from the Bible are on the Rembrandt page.

How does the painter paint your Flight into Egypt?

The original is hardly bigger than a page of an exercise book, so this Rembrandt reproduction is always larger than its model. Our painter paints it in oil on canvas at the size you choose, keeping the soft darkness and the light behind the thistle.

First comes the dark ground, then the warm light, and last the small details such as Joseph’s tools and the folds of Mary’s cloak. An oil painting reproduction like this has a depth that a sheet from a printer lacks.

Which size is right for your room?

In short: 45 x 50 or 59 x 65 cm for a bedside table, a nursery or a small corner, 68 x 75 or 75 x 85 cm above a bed or chest of drawers, 98 x 104 and 109 x 120 cm for the living room, and 145 x 160 and 163 x 180 cm for a large wall or a chapel.

There are 8 portrait sizes (width x height): 45 x 50, 59 x 65, 68 x 75, 75 x 85, 98 x 104, 109 x 120, 145 x 160 and 163 x 180 cm. The original is only 26 cm high, so even the smallest size is almost twice as large. As a painting for the living room above a sofa, 98 x 104 cm is a good fit.

Keep the centre of the painting at about 150 cm from the floor; in a bedroom you can hang it lower, around 30 cm above the headboard.

Can I have another size or a frame?

Yes. The original is roughly 12 : 13 in proportion, almost square; in that ratio the thistle and the light stay in place. Send us the size you want and we will reply with a price and a date.

You can have it rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or framed; our workshop in Slovenia takes care of the stretching and framing, just as for every other canvas painting. You choose the frame in the 3D application, which is only for choosing the frame; viewing it on your own wall is a separate service. A warm gold frame brings out the light behind the thistle, dark wood the night around the family.

When will the painting arrive, and what if I do not like it?

We start painting when you order and dispatch within 15 to 45 working days. The parcel travels customs-free to any EU country. Before dispatch we send you a photograph; whatever you would like different, we correct, and our returns policy applies to every order.

For Christmas, a christening or a young family that has just moved, the wall art voucher also makes a lovely gift, letting them choose the size themselves.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the original Flight into Egypt?

In the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Tours, France, inventory number 1793-1-2.

How old was Rembrandt?

Twenty-one; he painted it in 1627.

How big is the original?

Very small: 26 cm high and 24 cm wide, painted on a wooden panel.

Is your painting just as small?

No, our smallest size is 45 x 50 cm and our largest 163 x 180 cm; we paint them all in oil on canvas.

Which story is the scene from?

From the Gospel of Matthew: Joseph, Mary and Jesus flee to Egypt to escape Herod.

Is it a print?

No. Each one is a hand-painted copy, painted with a brush by a painter to your order.

Which size suits a nursery?

A small one, 45 x 50 or 59 x 65 cm, hung above the cot or the changing table.

Does it make a good Christmas present?

Yes, the holy family on its journey sits well beside a nativity scene and stays on the wall all year round.

• Subject: Joseph leads the donkey with Mary and the child by night, and a mysterious light behind a thistle separates them from the dark.
• Original: 1627, oil on panel, 26 x 24 cm, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Tours.
• Ours: painted by hand in oil on canvas, in 8 portrait sizes from 45 x 50 to 163 x 180 cm or made to measure.
• Worth knowing: the Rembrandt Research Project confirmed it as Rembrandt’s own work in 2001.