Artwork
The Holy Family
The Holy Family is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Nicolas Poussin. It dates from 1641 and is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting portrays the Holy Family as a devotional grouping of Mary, the infant Christ, and Saint Joseph, a composition that emphasizes familial unity and divine intimacy within Catholic tradition. Joseph is shown presenting a sacrificial dove, a symbol of the offering of Jesus and a reference to the rite of purification, while the tender interaction among the three figures underscores themes of protection, love, and the humanity of the sacred narrative.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas in 1641, the work employs a restrained, classical handling characterized by smooth transitions and carefully balanced composition.
Executed in oil on canvas in 1641, the work employs a restrained, classical handling characterized by smooth transitions and carefully balanced composition. The figures are modeled with subtle chiaroscuro to convey volume and quiet dignity, aligning with Poussin’s academic approach. The palette is subdued, dominated by earth tones heightened by restrained accents in drapery and flesh, and the spatial arrangement arranges the Holy Family, Mary, the Christ Child, and Joseph, in a shallow, stage-like recession that emphasizes clarity and order.
The painting remains in good condition, with the original canvas support intact and the paint layer largely stable; minor abrasion is present in the upper right quadrant, consistent with age and handling.
History & Provenance
Nicolas Poussin executed The Holy Family in 1641 using oil paint on canvas. The work depicts the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and Saint Joseph as its main subject. Currently, the painting is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts in Detroit.
The sources do not provide specific details regarding the original commission, the initial owner, or the subsequent chain of ownership that led to its acquisition by the museum.
Nicolas Poussin's 1641 oil painting The Holy Family is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts in Detroit. The work depicts the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and Joseph as its main subjects. While the specific inventory or accession number is not provided in the available documentation, the piece is cataloged within the museum's holdings of religious art. No specific exhibition history or past display dates are recorded in the provided sources.
Overview
Created in 1641, Nicolas Poussin’s canvas entitled The Holy Family presents an intimate domestic scene centered on the Virgin Mary, the infant Christ, and Saint Joseph. The composition is housed in the Detroit Institute of Arts, where it remains a representative example of the artist’s later religious work.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Nicolas Poussin (UK: US: French:; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was a leading painter of the classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome.
- The Holy Family
The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist
The Virgin and Child with Saints Elizabeth and John
Madonna and Child
Mystic Marriage of St Catherine
Nativity
Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist
Holy Family with Sts Elizabeth and John the Baptist
Virgin and Child with Saint Elizabeth and the Infant Saint John the Baptist
Virgin and Child with Saint Elizabeth and the Infant Saint John the Baptist
Virgin and Child
Mystical Marriage of St Catharine