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Notes

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The Hebrew Joseph was propositioned by the wife of his master Potiphar, captain of the Pharoah’s guard (Genesis, XXXIX, 7–20). When they were alone she clutched at his robes, pleading with him to make love to her, but Joseph fled leaving his cloak in her hands. Potiphar’s wife avenged her humiliation by accusing Joseph of trying to rape her, using his cloak as evidence, whereupon he was thrown into prison. The high moral tone of the scene is somewhat undermined, however, by the undue attention paid to incidental genre-like details such as the magnificent carpet, still life and dog. The artist treated the subject, a common one in Dutch art and literature of the seventeenth century, on several occasions.

The Wallace Collection

London

Title

Joseph and Potiphar's Wife

Date

1691

Medium

oil on oak panel

Measurements

H 48.1 x W 37.2 cm

Accession number

P163

Acquisition method

acquired by Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of Hertford, 1849; bequeathed to the nation by Lady Wallace, 1897

Work type

Painting

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The Wallace Collection

Hertford House, Manchester Square, London, Greater London W1U 3BN England

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