Not currently on display at the V&A

Joseph sold by his brothers

Oil Painting
18th century (painted)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This painting, by an unknown 18th-century artist, of Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers, may be a copy of a tapestry. Tapestries were usually made from full-scale painted designs (cartoons); this picture would appear to reverse that process, taking a tapestry as the model for a painting.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleJoseph sold by his brothers (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Oil on canvas
Brief description
Copy of, or design for, tapestry depicting Joseph sold by his brothers. Oil painting, English, 18th century.
Physical description
Oil painting showing Joseph being sold by his brothers into slavery. At the centre of the scene is Joseph, his gaze directed upward and wearing a white tunic. Behind him one of his brothers exchanges money with a black slave trader who is wearing a gold and black robe. The scene is set in a border decorated with putti, garlands of flowers and coats or arms.
Dimensions
  • Estimate height: 24in
  • Estimate width: 34.50in
Dimensions taken from Summary catalogue of British Paintings, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1973
Style
Credit line
Bequeathed by Claude D. Rotch
Object history
The arms held by cherubs on the left and right are those of the Stuarts.
Production
This painting was formerly attributed to Charles Le Brun.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This painting, by an unknown 18th-century artist, of Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers, may be a copy of a tapestry. Tapestries were usually made from full-scale painted designs (cartoons); this picture would appear to reverse that process, taking a tapestry as the model for a painting.
Bibliographic reference
Victoria & Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1962. London: HMSO, 1964.
Collection
Accession number
P.49-1962

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Record createdMay 25, 2006
Record URL
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