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Joseph Explaining his Dreams

A work made of engraving on paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of engraving on paper.

Date:

1541

Artist:

Nicolas Beatrizet (French, 1515-1565)
after Raffaello Sanzio, called Raphael (Italian, 1483-1520)

About this artwork

Raphael’s fresco from the Vatican Loggia represents an Old Testament narrative from Genesis 37, in which Joseph, the youngest and favorite son of Jacob, ill-advisedly told his 11 brothers about his dreams: in the two hovering circles, 11 sheaves of wheat, representing the other brothers, bow down to Joseph’s sheaf; then even the sun, moon, and stars bow to Joseph. Joseph’s jealous siblings sold him into slavery in Egypt, where he impressed Pharaoh with the same prophetic gifts, saving the realm from a famine. Coming to Egypt to beg for food, Joseph’s impoverished brothers eventually bowed down to him as he had foreseen.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Nicolas Beatrizet

Title

Joseph Explaining his Dreams

Place

France (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1541

Medium

Engraving on paper

Dimensions

23.4 × 37.5 cm (9 1/4 × 14 13/16 in.)

Credit Line

The Wallace L. DeWolf and Joseph Brooks Fair Collections

Reference Number

1920.1988

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/79901/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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