Vol. I · The open image paperWinnipeg · Musée sans mursRecovered · Remembered · Returned
Cleveland Museum of Art150389landscapeNicolas Poussin (French, 1594–1665)1648CC0cma sacred-art sacred art virgin mary child jesus john the baptist religious painting baroque oil painting italian art marian devotion family scene classical blue sky terrace serene gold ornate the holy family stepsNicolas Poussin (French, 1594–1665) 1648 France oil on canvas Painting European ReligiousSacred & Devotional
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The Holy Family on the Steps by Nicolas Poussin (French, 1594–1665) (1648). Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund Rights: CC0. https://clevelandart.org/art/1981.18
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From the museum record
This deceptively simple composition represents a complex meditation on the Holy Family’s role in the redemption of humanity. At the center, Mary presents the Christ child to the world. At the left, Saint Elizabeth leans forward to foretell his eventual death, while her son, Saint John the Baptist, offers Jesus an apple, signifying humanity’s fall from grace in the Garden of Eden. At the right, Saint Joseph holds a compass, a sign of his occupation as a carpenter and also symbolic of God the Father. Poussin developed his composition meticulously and deliberately, using clear primary colors, simple forms, and a geometric organization to express the central importance of the Holy Family in Christian belief.
Lupin’s visual index
A serene depiction of the Virgin Mary, Christ, and John the Baptist gathers on a stone terrace beneath a bright blue sky.
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