Vlucht naar Egypte 1579 - 1582

Johann Sadeler I created this engraving, “Flight into Egypt,” around 1585, after a design by Maerten de Vos. The print depicts Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus fleeing to Egypt to escape King Herod's infanticide. Sadeler was based in the Netherlands. This region, at this time, was undergoing significant social and religious upheaval during the Reformation. The Catholic Church was losing its grip as Protestantism spread, leading to the rise of new forms of spirituality. Printed images were critical to this shift. Publishers like Sadeler played a crucial role in disseminating religious ideas, commissioning designs from artists like de Vos, and turning them into widely available prints. Such imagery was particularly relevant in a society grappling with religious persecution and displacement, and helped viewers imagine their own place within these sacred stories. Art historians look to these prints to understand how faith was practiced and how images could shape social and political realities.