Nicolas Poussin: Strides, Reverses and Backlogs — Some notes on the Cleveland drawing

Abstract

Summary In 1983 the Cleveland Museum of Art acquired a drawing, showing several sketches by Nicolas Poussin on its recto as well as on its verso. Since there have been some errors and confusions regarding this drawing in the last time (first of all, due to the publications accompanying the celebrations of Poussin's 400th birthday), the aim of this article is to sum up, to (where necessary) correct and, finally, (where possible) to extend the state of research on this sheet. Hence, it is shown that the iconographic identification of the recto‐scene, proposed by some authors, has to be reconsidered. Furthermore, some errors concerning the context and the date of some of the versosketches are indicated and corrected. Finally, it can be shown that one drawing (likewise on the verso of the sheet) was not — as hitherto thought — intended to prepare a “Holy Family” but a “Moses"‐scene. On the base of these findings, considerations upon the chronological and biographical implications of the whole sheet are submitted as a conclusion.