Joseph Interpreting the Dreams of Pharaoh
This painting’s subdued tonality and matte surface result from the materials and technique employed: a water-based medium on ungrounded fine-weave canvas, known by the German term Tüchlein. Such early forays into what would become oil on canvas offered artists a lightweight and economical alternative to large-scale panel paintings or tapestries. Their disadvantages are also apparent, however, in that their surfaces were easily worn and damaged by moisture. This rare surviving example is unfinished, but was probably conceived as part of a series devoted to the story of the Old Testament patriarch Joseph, who is seen here standing in an anachronistic Renaissance palace interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh.
Artwork Details
- Title: Joseph Interpreting the Dreams of Pharaoh
- Artist: Attributed to Jörg Breu the Younger (German, Augsburg ca. 1510–1547 Augsburg)
- Date: ca. 1534–47
- Medium: Distemper on linen
- Dimensions: 67 5/8 x 57 1/4 in. (171.8 x 145.4 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Marquand Collection, Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1889
- Object Number: 89.15.20
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
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2629. Joseph Interpreting the Dreams of Pharaoh
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Multiple artists/makers
1531
Jörg Breu the Younger
1533
Jörg Breu the Younger
16th century
Lucas Cranach the Elder
ca. 1525–27
Lucas Cranach the Younger and Workshop
ca. 1545–50
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