Saints Peter and John Healing the Lame Man

Saints Peter and John Healing the Lame Man is an oil on canvas painting created by the French master Nicolas Poussin in 1655. This work exemplifies the artist's mature classical style, characterized by highly rational compositions, clear narratives, and sculpturesque figures placed within defined architectural spaces. Poussin, working primarily in Rome, established the academic standard for historical painting in the seventeenth century, prioritizing intellect and moral clarity over dramatic spectacle. The canvas depicts the pivotal moment recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 3, where the Apostles cure a man born lame at the gate of the Temple in Jerusalem.

The composition meticulously organizes the Men, positioning the main figures to emphasize the spiritual authority of the early Church. Saint Peter, standing prominently, gestures powerfully, initiating the miraculous cure. His companion, Saint John the Evangelist, witnesses the event with an expression of quiet intensity. The figures’ postures are carefully modulated, reflecting Poussin’s adherence to ancient sculptural ideals. Unlike the high emotionalism of contemporary Baroque painters, Poussin chose restraint, allowing the clarity of the narrative and the structure of the scene to convey the weight of the religious subject.

Created late in the artist's career, this piece showcases Poussin's consistent dedication to the rigorous tenets of Renaissance classicism. The precision and careful execution of the painting make it a significant document of Poussin’s artistic legacy and a key component of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection of European painting. Due to the historical and artistic importance of the work, high-resolution documentation is often made available, and public domain prints derived from the original canvas are widely accessible for scholarly study and appreciation of this masterwork.