The Symbolism In Nicolas Poussin's The Book Of Exodus

“Then a new king came to the throne of Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done. He told his people, ‘These Israelites are becoming a threat to us because there are so many of them. We must find a way to put an end to this. If we don’t and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us. Then they will escape from the country’” (New Living Translation, Exodus 1:8-10). The Book of Exodus is a powerful story of salvation, beginning with the enslavement of the Hebrews and ending with their freedom from bondage. It lays a “foundational theology in which God reveals his name, his attributes, his redemption, his law and how he is to be worshiped” (“Book of Exodus”).

Nicolas Poussin, a 17th century French painter-philosopher,

The infant Moses resembles previous renditions of the Christ Child blessing the Magi or shepherds in a scene of The Adoration of the Magi by Leonardo da Vinci or the Nativity and Adoration of the Shepherds by Domenico Ghirlandaio. Moses being pulled from the water in Exodus 1:2 can be likened to the waters of baptism, though Poussin’s interest in Moses may be due to his identification with pagan deities. He is quoted as having written of this picture, “He is Moses, the Mosche of the Hebrews, the Pan of the Arcadians, the Priapus of the Hellespont, the Anubis of the Egyptians.” In the image, symbolizing the Nile, a river god can be seen embracing a sphinx. This helps to create the idea that the scene takes place in Egypt, as Poussin never actually visited the country, so he would not have had firsthand knowledge as to what the landscape actually looked like. Palm trees are present and far in the distance, what appears to be the tips of two pyramid. Overall, the landscape and figures resemble Roman figures and architecture, as the women are all porcelain skinned and the buildings resemble those from ancient Rome. Having lived most of his adult life in Rome, it would make sense that the Roman influence is so profound, with most of his figures looking like ancient Greco-Roman