The Miracle of the Palm Tree on the Flight to Egypt

The Miracle of the Palm Tree on the Flight to Egypt

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This sculpture, probably from a retable (decoration behind an altar) depicting Jesus commanding the palm tree to bend down so that the Holy Family could eat its fruit, is based upon New Testament Apocrypha, episodes from the life of Jesus not recounted in the Gospels. The composition is derived from an engraving by Martin Schongauer, dated about 1476.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Miracle of the Palm Tree on the Flight to EgyptThe Miracle of the Palm Tree on the Flight to EgyptThe Miracle of the Palm Tree on the Flight to EgyptThe Miracle of the Palm Tree on the Flight to EgyptThe Miracle of the Palm Tree on the Flight to Egypt

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.