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The donkey is a familiar presence in pictures of
the Flight into Egypt, and its inclusion echoes the entry into
Jerusalem towards the end of Christ's life. But there are other animals,
and the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew suggests there may have been lots of
them:
Lions and panthers adored Him likewise, and accompanied them in the
desert. Wherever Joseph and the blessed Mary went, they went before them
showing them the way, and bowing their heads; and showing their submission
by wagging their tails, they adored Him with great reverence. Now at
first, when Mary saw the lions and the panthers, and various kinds of wild
beasts, coming about them, she was very much afraid. But the infant Jesus
looked into her face with a joyful countenance, and said: Be not afraid,
mother; for they come not to do thee harm, but they make haste to serve
both thee and me. With these words He drove all fear from her heart. And
the lions kept walking with them, and with the oxen, and the asses, and
the beasts of burden which carried their baggage, and did not hurt a
single one of them, though they kept beside them; but they were tame among
the sheep and the rams which they had brought with them from Judaea, and
which they had with them. They walked among wolves, and feared nothing;
and no one of them was hurt by another. Then was fulfilled that which was
spoken by the prophet: Wolves shall feed with lambs; the lion and the ox
shall eat straw together. There were together two oxen drawing a waggon
with provision for the journey, and the lions directed them in their path.
(Ch 19)
And when they saw the spring of water, they rejoiced with great joy,
and were satisfied, themselves and all their cattle and their beasts.' (Ch
20)
Not even the most enthusiastic of Dutch animal painters included this lot,
but some other animals do appear. Angelo Caroselli has a small herd of
sheep, and Wolf Huber includes an ox. This relates to yet another legend
attached to the Flight into Egypt story - that the ox and the ass from the
nativity came along too. Is this an ass rather than a donkey? Not sure!
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Angelo Caroselli
Rest on the Flight into Egypt
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome
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Wolf Huber
Gemäldegalerie,
Dresden
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This painting by Albrecht Durer includes,
uniquely as far as I am aware, a unicorn in the background The Unicorn is
a traditional symbol of virginity, but not even the author of the Gospel
of Pseudo-Matthew thought to include one.
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