Today's Advent artwork is dedicated to lori_piper, who sent me a very cute Winnie the Pooh holiday card!
Gerard David (c. 1460–1523)
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, c. 1510
oil on panel
National Gallery of Art, Washington
From the Gospel According to Matthew, chapter 2, verses 13-14:
After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up and flee to Egypt with the child and his mother," the angel said. "Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to try to kill the child." That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother…
Some of the detail images of this painting are worth a look: a sardonic donkey, Joseph trying to knock dates from a tree, and a not-entirely-successful attempt to paint over part of Mary's robe.