The Rest on the Flight into Egypt (recto) (c. 1879–80): Art, History and Details

The Rest on the Flight into Egypt (recto) (c. 1879–80) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Luc-Olivier Merson (French, 1846–1920).

The work and its context

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

This drawing relates to Luc-Olivier Merson's Rest on the Flight into Egypt, among the most popular paintings exhibited at the 1879 Paris Salon. This dream-like, highly unusual image from the familiar bible story shows Mary and Christ resting peacefully in the arms of a Sphinx, while Joseph sleeps near their dwindling fire. In the wake of its extraordinary success, Merson made several painted replicas of the work. Here, the composition is identical, but reversed, suggesting that it may have been an alternative version of the canvas.

Object facts

• Title: The Rest on the Flight into Egypt (recto)
• Date: c. 1879–80
• Creator attribution: Luc-Olivier Merson (French, 1846–1920)
• Culture: France, 19th century
• Type: Drawing
• Technique: gray and graphite wash, with scraping and traces of black chalk
• Dimensions: Sheet: 14.5 x 25.5 cm (5 11/16 x 10 1/16 in.); Secondary Support: 27.9 x 39 cm (11 x 15 3/8 in.)
• Collection: DR - French
• Department: Drawings
• Accession number: 1997.178.a

A detail from the museum

It is possible that this drawing served as a model for a print, but the best-known printed reproduction of the painting differs from the sheet in several minor details.

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

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.