id:			150390
accession number:	1981.18.a
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1981.18.a
updated:		2022-10-29 15:27:06.511000

The Holy Family on the Steps: Original Stretcher and Lining Fabric, 19th century. Nicolas Poussin (French, 1594–1665). overall: 72.4 x 111.7 cm (28 1/2 x 44 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1981.18.a

title:				The Holy Family on the Steps: Original Stretcher and Lining Fabric
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			19th century
creation date earliest:		1800
creation date latest:		1899
current location:		
creditline:			Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	France, 17th century
technique:	
department:	European Painting and Sculpture
collection:	P - French 17th Century
type:		Painting
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

* Nicolas Poussin (French, 1594–1665)  - artist

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measurements: Overall: 72.4 x 111.7 cm (28 1/2 x 44 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

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fun fact: 
Poussin placed small wax models in a box pierced with holes to study lighting effects.

digital description: 


wall description: 
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.
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