Joseph and Potiphar's wife
Medium
etching
Dimensions
115; 91
About this artwork
contre-épreuve van ets
Art Historical Context
In the biblical tale from Genesis, Joseph, a handsome Hebrew slave in Egypt, resists the seductive advances of Potiphar's, fleeing her grasp and leaving behind his garment as evidence of his virtue. Rembrandt van Rijn captures this dramatic moment in his 1634 etching *Joseph and Potiphar Wife*, a masterful work from the Dutch Golden Age early career. At just 91mm by 115mm, this print showcases Rembrandt's revolutionary etching technique, where he used fine, expressive lines and subtle burrs to evoke texture, emotion, and chiaroscuro—the interplay of light and shadow that defines his Baroque st...
About the Artist
Rembrandt van Rijn · 1606–1669
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–1669) stands as one of the greatest visual artists in the history of Western art and the most important Dutch painter of the 17th century. Born in Leiden to a prosperous miller's family, Rembrandt transformed painting through his revolutionary use of light and shadow, his psychological depth in portraiture, and his elevation of etching to a fine art. His approx...