The angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt. (Matthew 2:13-14, KJV)
The terse Gospel account of the Flight into Egypt makes no mention of how the the Holy Family made their escape from the murderous King Herod, but given their need for speed it must surely have been with a donkey--a convention sacred artists have followed down the centuries in depicting the event. In this week's quartet of donkey images from the on-line Sacred Art Pilgrim collection our featured animal is more than a visual prop in the biblical drama. With raised foreleg and lowered head, the beast of burden sets the pace in a traditional woodblock print (lower left) from French Graphic Artist Jacques Beltrand and a comically chaotic mixed media work (lower right) from London-born Irish Artist Brian Whelan, where the animal gives us a knowing look as if to say everything is under control. Posing with Joseph, Mary, and the Baby Jesus, the donkey even seems part of the Holy Family, looking out with the same wide-eyed stare in a sculpture (upper right) from Polish Folk Artist Anton Kaminski; giving the Virgin Mary protective support in a book plate of the resting refugees (upper left) from Czech Printmaker Milan Entler. (John Kohan)