POUSSIN, Nicolas
(b. 1594, Les Andelys, d. 1665, Roma)

Joshua's Victory over the Amorites

1625-26
Oil on canvas, 97 x 134 cm
Pushkin Museum, Moscow

This painting is based on a passage from the Old Testament and was executed around 1625-1626. In the painting he integrates quotations from antiquity, the frescoes of Raphael and Giulio Romano. The mounted figure of Joshua, for example, goes back to Giulio Romano's Battle of Constantine in the Vatican.

The painting demonstrates in a convincing manner Poussin's ability to structure a composition that is both theatrically and aesthetically satisfying.