The Return of the Holy Family from Egypt

Nicolás Enríquez Mexican

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.

The Return of the Holy Family from Egypt, Nicolás Enríquez (Mexican, 1704–1790), Oil on copper, Mexican

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The Return of the Holy Family from Egypt, Nicolás Enríquez (Mexican, 1704–1790), Oil on copper, Mexican
The Return of the Holy Family from Egypt, Nicolás Enríquez (Mexican, 1704–1790), Oil on copper, Mexican

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