Eudamidas' testamente

1641–1642

Vouet’s partisans reproach his Christ with resembling Jupiter

The partisans of Simon Vouet, Poussin’s old friend, also criticised his Christ in the sky in “The Miracle of St Francis Xavier”: too much pride, resembling Jupiter more than a God of Mercy. Poussin answered that he could not and should not imagine a Christ looking like a gentle father — when he was on earth among men, it was difficult to look him in the face.

1641–1665

Post: Premier peintre du Roi

autumn 1642

Finds a pretext and leaves for Rome for good

Increasingly unhappy with court intrigue and the weight of commissions, in the autumn of 1642, while the king and court were in Languedoc, Poussin found a pretext to leave Paris and returned to Rome permanently.

1642–1644

Richelieu, Louis XIII and Urban VIII pass away

Richelieu died in 1642, Louis XIII in 1643 and Pope Urban VIII in 1644; his successor Innocent X was less interested in art patronage and preferred Spanish culture, and the Barberini left for France. But Richelieu’s successor, Cardinal Mazarin, began to collect Poussin’s works.

1643

Chantelou comes to Rome and commissions masterpieces

Paul Fréart de Chantelou came to Rome in 1643 and stayed several months; he commissioned from Poussin some of his most important works, including the second series of “The Seven Sacraments” and “Landscape with Diogenes”.

after 1650

A trembling hand: his health declines

After 1650 Poussin’s health declined and a tremor in his hand grew worse — evidence of it is visible in his late drawings.