Madonna with Partridges
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Madonna with Partridges or Rest on the Flight into Egypt is a 1632 oil on canvas painting by Anthony van Dyck, with animals painted by Paul de Vos. It is now in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
As with his 1630 treatment of the same subject, he draws on a medieval legend based on Matthew 2:13 and Pseudo-Matthew 20.[1] It was commissioned by Antwerp's "Sodality of Bachelors" (a fraternity dedicated to the Virgin Mary and led by the Jesuits), with several very specific requests for allegories to appear in the work[1] - the sunflower above Mary and the parrot on a branch to her left both allude to her divine essence as immaculate Virgin, the eponymous partridges (a symbol of debauchery in Cesare Ripa's Iconologia) show her purity putting all sinful things to flight, the pomegranate at her feet is simultaneously a symbol of resurrection, virginity and chastity, the apple tree behind the Holy Family symbolises Mary's part in overcoming original sin and the white roses behind the tree and the lily are an attribute of Mary, symbolising joy, love and beauty.[1]