The Return of the Holy Family from Egypt

1773
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 626
Nicolás Enríquez, whose career spanned more than six decades, is best known as a specialist in paintings on copper. He frequently based his compositions on European prints, as he did in this painting, which derives from a work by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640). The popularity of the subject, in which the heavenly Trinity is mirrored by the earthly one of the Holy Family, can be attributed to the growing importance of the cult of Saint Joseph. The saint, depicted here as a youthful spouse and father, was made patron of New Spain in 1555.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Return of the Holy Family from Egypt
  • Artist: Nicolás Enríquez (Mexican, 1704–1790)
  • Date: 1773
  • Culture: Mexican
  • Medium: Oil on copper
  • Dimensions: 22 1/4 × 16 1/2 in. (56.5 × 41.9 cm)
    Framed: 25 in. × 19 1/2 in. × 1 1/2 in. (63.5 × 49.5 × 3.8 cm)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Louis V. Bell, Harris Brisbane Dick, Fletcher, and Rogers Funds and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest and several members of The Chairman's Council Gifts, 2014
  • Object Number: 2014.174
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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