A woman in a vivid red robe collapses onto the stone pavement at the center foreground, her body limp and her head turned away from the viewer. Two figures kneel beside her: one, a man in a yellow tunic, leans forward with an outstretched arm, while a woman in a pale dress supports the fallen woman's head and gazes at her with concern. Behind them, a cluster of onlookers reacts with alarm and astonishment, their gestures animated—one woman raises her hands in shock, while a bearded man in green and pink turns to look toward the right.

To the left, a woman holding a child and a small boy stand in the shadows, their faces turned toward the dramatic event unfolding before them. The right side of the scene is dominated by three men standing on a set of steps, draped in robes of blue, gold, and red; the man in the center, with a gesture of command, points toward the fallen woman, while the others raise their hands in a gesture of authority or admonition. The architecture frames the action with imposing stone buildings and a broad flight of steps, leading the viewer’s gaze into a sunlit city square in the background, where small figures move about their daily business.

Light pours in from the left, illuminating the central figures and casting deep shadows on the pavement, while the distant buildings are rendered in cooler tones, receding into a hazy sky. Poussin arranges the composition in a frieze-like manner, with the figures distributed in a horizontal band across the foreground, their gestures and drapery echoing the classical architecture. The brushwork appears smooth and controlled, with crisp outlines and carefully modeled forms that emphasize clarity and order.

The color scheme is dominated by strong reds, blues, and yellows, set against the pale stone and muted greens of the cityscape, creating a sense of solemnity and drama. The Death of Sapphira was painted by Nicolas Poussin in the 1650s, around 1652.