Coriolan supplié par sa famille

Coriolanus Entreated by His Family from 1652 depicts the Roman general persuaded by his mother and wife to spare Rome. The theme of civic duty versus personal feeling was central to Poussin's exploration of classical virtue. Working in Rome from 1624 onwards, Poussin served a cultivated international clientele of French and Italian patrons who prized his learned, disciplined approach to classical antiquity and religious narrative. His correspondence reveals a painter who regarded painting as ...

The multi-figure composition dramatizes the moral conflict through gesture and expression. Poussin's classical handling and measured palette create a scene of philosophical gravity.