The Large Tree and the Cascade (c. 1652–54): Art, History and Details

The Large Tree and the Cascade (c. 1652–54) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Herman van Swanevelt (Dutch, c. 1600–1655).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This series by Herman Swanevelt, The Flight into Egypt, illustrates an event from the New Testament of the Bible. Joseph, Mary, and Christ fled into Egypt to escape King Herod's persecution. Traditionally represented as a single image, Swanevelt enlarged the story into four scenes. The Holy family is first shown traveling with three angels behind them, then Joseph helps Mary off the donkey, next Joseph leads the donkey to water as Mary changes the child, and finally the family is at rest. However, the main focus of each of these prints is the depiction of landscape, a genre that reached unprecedented levels of popularity during the 1600s. The scenery, looking much more like the Italian countryside than Egypt, was inspired by Swanevelt's paintings. Although he was Dutch, he spent most of his career in Paris and Rome. As a painter, he was known for his ability to convey warm, glowing sunlight, a quality also found in his etchings.

Object facts

• Title: The Large Tree and the Cascade
• Date: c. 1652–54
• Creator attribution: Herman van Swanevelt (Dutch, c. 1600–1655)
• Culture: Netherlands
• Type: Print
• Technique: etching and engraving
• Collection: PR - Etching
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1987.92.2

Collection credit

Gift of Louise S. Richards in appreciation of The Print Club of Cleveland

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.