The Holy Family on the Steps

Nicolas Poussin

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.

Artwork details

Artist: Nicolas Poussin
Date: 1648
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: Framed: 103.5 x 135.3 x 13.3 cm (40 3/4 x 53 1/4 x 5 1/4 in.); Unframed: 73.3 x 105.8 cm (28 7/8 x 41 5/8 in.); Former: 72.3 x 104 cm (28 7/16 x 40 15/16 in.)
Culture: France
Collection: European Painting and Sculpture

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landscape artwork · 6000 × 4117 pixels

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Artwork total

Rs. 1070

Artwork cost: Rs. 1000

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Size / customization

Artwork size: 10" × 7"

Whole-inch standard sizes may trim a small amount from the edges. Artwork is never stretched.