Terugkeer uit Egypte 1594 - 1660

Hendrik van der Borcht II created this print, 'Return from Egypt', in the Netherlands sometime in the mid-17th century. It depicts Mary, Jesus, and Joseph on their journey back from their flight into Egypt, as told in the Gospel of Matthew. Looking at this image, we might ask ourselves what the artist means by framing this biblical story in such a way. The setting looks like a rural Dutch landscape. Note also how Joseph is depicted not as a king, but as a manual laborer tending to the donkey. The holy family looks like any other peasant family returning home. Perhaps Van der Borcht is making a subtle statement about the role of the church. By depicting the family as common people, he is saying that holiness can be found anywhere, even in the humblest of places. This print challenges the church's monopoly on the sacred, reflecting broader questions about social structures and religious authority in the 17th century. These kinds of interpretations require the work of historians who study the cultural context in which art is made and the institutions that shape its meaning.