Artwork
The Return of the Holy Family to Nazareth
The Return of the Holy Family to Nazareth is an unspecified painting by the Baroque artist Nicolas Poussin. It dates from 1627 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Look up other works by Nicolas Poussin (French, 1594–1665) to see how he painted stories with calm, clear details.
You see a small family walking down a rocky path: Mary, Joseph, and a young Jesus holding a stick. Angels float above them, carrying a cross.
This painting shows a rare moment—the Holy Family’s quiet return from Egypt after King Herod’s death. Most artists painted their flight, not the journey home. The cross in the sky hints at Jesus’s future, but the scene feels peaceful, like an ordinary family trip.
Look up other works by Nicolas Poussin (French, 1594–1665) to see how he painted stories with calm, clear details.
Overview
The Return of the Holy Family to Nazareth is a painting by Nicolas Poussin, a French artist active in the 17th century.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the Holy Family's return from Egypt after the death of King Herod, a relatively rare subject in art. The scene shows Mary, Joseph, and Jesus walking along a rocky path, with angels carrying a cross above them, foreshadowing Jesus's crucifixion.
Technique & Style
Poussin's style is characterized by calm and clear depiction of narrative scenes. The painting features a serene atmosphere, with the Holy Family presented as an ordinary family on a journey, despite the symbolic presence of the cross borne by angels.
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.
Baptism of Christ
Venus Bringing Simples for the Wounded Aeneas
Study for "An Apotheosis of a Saint" (for San Bernardino dei Morti, Milan)
Agony in the Garden
The conversion of Saint Paul
St. Mary, little Jesus and st. Katharina
The Baptism of Christ
Coronation of the Virgin
The Sacrifice of Isaac
Saints Presenting a Devout Woman to the Virgin and Child