Detail of The Rest on Flight into Egypt by Gerard David in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, August 2008

The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, ca. 1512–15
Gerard David (Netherlandish, ca. 1455–1523)
Oil on wood
20 x 17 in. (50.8 x 43.2 cm)
The Jules Bache Collection, 1949 (49.7.21)

David's awareness of Italian Renaissance conventions is evident in the pyramidal motif of the Virgin and Child and his use of chiaroscuro to convey volume. The composition suggests a continuous narrative. In the background is a vignette of the Holy Family emerging from the forest, en route to the contemporary Netherlandish town nestled in the valley at the left.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/gera/ho_49.7.21.htm