The Holy Family Resting on the Flight into Egypt 1610 - 1617

Jacques Bellange made this drawing, The Holy Family Resting on the Flight into Egypt, with pen and brown ink and wash around the turn of the 17th century. The scene is a common one in the Catholic world, showing Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus on their journey to safety. But Bellange was working in the Duchy of Lorraine, a region whose art drew on the cultures of both France and the Holy Roman Empire. Look closely, and you’ll see the influence of mannerism in the artificial poses and elongated limbs of the figures, a style which was then in vogue at the courts of Europe. Yet it also reflects a moment when the Catholic Church was eager to reassert its power through art, commissioning lavish works to inspire devotion and awe. Bellange's drawing, with its complex symbolism and refined aesthetic, speaks to the tastes of a sophisticated, courtly audience. By studying the religious, political and aesthetic context of the time, and through close attention to the work itself, we can learn about the complex forces that shaped this image.