Gustave Doré (French, 1832–1883)
Flight into Egypt
Oil on canvas
32 ¾ × 56 in.
Frame: 38 × 61 in.
Signed lower right
In Flight into Egypt, Gustave Doré depicts the Holy Family in a moment of quiet endurance during their biblical journey into exile. Mary cradles the Christ Child while Joseph rests beside her, the figures silhouetted against a vast, glowing horizon. Ancient ruins and the distant Sphinx situate the scene within a timeless, symbolic landscape, while the low light of dawn or dusk underscores themes of protection, sacrifice, and divine providence. Doré’s restrained composition emphasizes stillness and spiritual resolve rather than narrative drama, inviting contemplation of the family’s vulnerability and faith.
Doré was among the most celebrated visual interpreters of religious and literary subjects in the nineteenth century. Best known for his monumental illustrated editions of the Bible, Divine Comedy, and Paradise Lost, he brought the same narrative clarity and emotional gravity to his paintings. Religious scenes such as Flight into Egypt reflect Doré’s lifelong engagement with biblical history and moral storytelling, combining academic training with a Romantic sensitivity to light, scale, and symbolism. The work’s association with major institutions—including Sotheby’s and the Cleveland Museum of Art—underscores its place within Doré’s serious, studio-based painted œuvre rather than his more widely known graphic work.
