The Holy Family On The Steps 1648. Oil On Canvas

Description

The Holy Family on the Steps arranges a sacred family across the firm geometry of a stairway. Mary sits near the center in red and blue, holding Christ as the young John approaches from the left beside Saint Elizabeth. Joseph remains farther back at the right, with columns, rising steps and blue sky framing the company. Nicolas Poussin gives their separate positions a measured relationship, joining an intimate encounter with a substantial architectural setting.

Painted in 1648 in oil on canvas, the work joins an intimate exchange with a carefully structured setting. The steps provide different levels for the figures, while the child’s offered fruit introduces a small, concentrated action within the wider arrangement. The painting’s stillness comes from that balance: the family members remain individually engaged, yet their poses and the surrounding architecture contribute to a composed, coherent whole.

Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Nicolas Poussin collection.