Rest on the Flight into Egypt by Luc-Olivier Merson (Interpretation and Analysis)

Rest on the Flight into Egypt
Source: Museum of Fine Arts Boston

As the holiday season begins to wrap up, I want to share one more painting that celebrates the Christmas season: Luc-Olivier Merson’s version of Rest on the Flight into Egypt.

The piece depicts a scene from the gospel of Matthew in which an angel appears to Joseph in a dream to warn him that Herod is seeking to kill the Christ child. Upon waking, Joseph took Mary and Jesus and fled to Egypt, where the family was safe. Although the rest on this journey is not specifically mentioned in the bible, it became a part of recognized Christian iconography by the fourteenth century, and, over the years, it has provided the framework for some of the most imaginative pieces of art in Western history.

Merson’s version of this subject is particularly unique and interesting. Here, we see the Holy Family silhouetted against a star-strewn desert sky. Joseph sleeps on the sand, wrapped in his cloak while the family’s mule rests nearby. Mary sits with the Christ Child— glowing with the golden light of a halo—between the massive paws of the sphinx of Giza. Above them, the sphinx gazes up at the stars with the famous “archaic smile”—a common feature of ancient art—gracing its lips.

In the nineteenth centuries, Europeans were “discovering” and rediscovering the wonders of the ancient world, including the archeological sites of ancient Egypt. Although the artist never visited Africa, it is likely that he was inspired by contemporary academic reports and descriptions, as well as by accounts by modern travelers. The ancient sphinx in the company of the Holy Family is a powerful symbol in the Christian context. It symbolizes the combination of the Old and New testaments and is a reminder of the covenant God made with the Israelites in the Old Testament.

On a more literal level, the inclusion of the sphinx adds a degree of realism to the scene. Traditionally, Biblical imagery in Western art isn’t very literal. Few western artists ever visited the Holy Land, and, as such, they imagined the stories of the Bible taking place in a world that looked very similar to their own. Biblical scenes take place in European castles, villages, and forests, populated by fair-skinned men and women dressed in contemporary European clothing. Merson abandons this tradition in favor of an actual (albeit idealized) African landscape. It is a modern take on a centuries old subject.