The Flight to Egypt

A painting by the Dutch artist Nicolaes Corneliszoon (Claes) Moeyaert (1592-1655) of the Flight to Egypt. In a catalogue of the works of Moeyaert in 1974, Astrid Tümpel described the painting. The painting itself depicts the flight to Egypt with Maria, Joseph and the baby Jesus being protected by angels. Interesting to note is the Italian style buildings of Pompeii in the scene as well as the volcano Vesuvius that is erupting. What is so interesting about that of course is that the flight to Egypt from Israel would probably not pass through Rome. As Moeyaert spent limited time in Italy the eruption of the volcano is quite telling as he was traveling Italy in 1631 when the volcano was active, giving a very accurate dating to the work. Short Biography: Nicolaes Cornelisz Moeyaert was born in Durgerdam in the Netherlands and is best known for his biblical and mythological scenes.