Rest on the Flight into Egypt
Luc Olivier Merson
(French, 1846–1920)
1879
Country of Origin, for CustomsFrance
Medium/TechniqueOil on canvas
Dimensions71.8 x 128.3 cm (28 1/4 x 50 1/2 in.)
Credit LineBequest of George Golding Kennedy
Accession number18.652
On View
On viewClassificationsPaintings
Collections
Fleeing persecution at the hands of Roman authorities, the Holy Family takes refuge in Egypt. Joseph dozes beside a dying campfire while his donkey grazes on sparse desert grass. At left the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus, crowned with a halo of light, sleep peacefully in the arms of a sphinx, its eyes turned to the heavens where the first stars have begun to appear. A successful artist within the French Academy, Merson never traveled to North Africa, but his use of archeological detail creates the illusion of an eyewitness account—breathing new life into a time‑honored subject.
InscriptionsLower right: LVC OLIVIER-MERSON / MDCCCLXXIXProvenance19th century, acquired in Paris by George Golding Kennedy (b. 1841 - d. 1918), Boston [see note 1]; 1918, bequest of George Golding Kennedy to the MFA. (Accession Date: November 7, 1918)
NOTES:
[1] According to notes in the MFA curatorial file.
NOTES:
[1] According to notes in the MFA curatorial file.
Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof
Barbara Longhi
