Dürer set this scene from the New Testament amid a conspicuously Northern forest of pine trees and deer. He included an exotic palm tree to represent the date palm that supposedly bent down to feed the hungry travellers during their escape from King Herod. Although this incident is from the unauthenticated apocryphal texts, the palm tree is a recurring symbol in the Bible. Marcantonio was a prolific printmaker, producing over 300 prints after works by other artists, including Raphael and Michelangelo. This engraving is one of 74 compositions copied from Dürer’s woodcuts.