Joseph and Potiphar's Wife
1510–50
Medium
Pen and gray ink, brush and gray wash.
Dimensions
Diameter 7 3/8 in (18.6 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1996
Accession Number
1996.148
Tags
About this artwork
"Joseph and Potiphar's Wife" by Georg Pencz, created in 1510–50, is executed in pen and gray ink, brush and gray wash.. This drawings belongs to the Metropolitan Museum's Drawings and Prints collection. The work measures diameter 7 3/8 in (18.6 cm). The artwork entered the museum's collection through purchase, the elisha whittelsey collection, the elisha whittelsey fund, 1996.
Art Historical Context
Georg Pencz's *Joseph and Potiphar's*, created between 1510 and1550, captures a tense biblical moment from the Book of Genesis. In this intimate interior scene featuring men and women, the virtuous Joseph flees the seductive advances of his master Potiphar's wife, embodying themes of temptation, morality, and fidelity that resonated deeply in Renaissance art. Executed on a circular sheet measuring 7 3/8 inches (18.6 cm) in diameter—a format evoking classical medallions—this drawing showcases Pencz's mastery as a Nuremberg engraver and one of the "Little Masters" of the Northern Renaissance. P...
About the Artist
Georg Pencz · 1490–1550
Comment on works: Religious; History; Portraits