Holy Family on the Steps

Nicolas Poussin|Claudine Bouzonnet Stella

1668 · Engraving and etching · Drawings and Prints

Nicolas Poussin painted over thirty renditions of the Holy Family, making it his most frequent subject. Claudine Bouzonnet Stella translated Poussin’s noblest treatment of the theme in this print based on her uncle Jacques Stella’s painted copy. The enthroned figures sit slightly above eye level upon a staircase that symbolizes the connection between heaven and earth. Mary and the infant Jesus crown a pyramidal arrangement flanked on the left by Saint Elizabeth and John the Baptist; in their shadow at right, Saint Joseph intently inscribes a tablet with his compass, signifying God’s creation of the world. Mediated by her uncle’s copy, Bouzonnet Stella used astutely hatched transitions of light and dark to complement this highly geometric composition. Yasemin Altun, June 2024

Artist

Nicolas Poussin|Claudine Bouzonnet Stella

Date

1668

Medium

Engraving and etching

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953