Potiphar's Wife Accusing Joseph, from The Story of Joseph
Medium
Engraving; second state of two
Dimensions
Sheet: 4 11/16 × 3 1/16 in. (11.9 × 7.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1949
Accession Number
49.132.83
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the bustling world of 16th-century Northern Renaissance printmaking, Heinrich Aldegrever *Potiphar's Wifeusing Joseph*, part of his series *The Story of* from 1532. This intimate engraving, measuring just 4 11/16 × 3 1/16 inches, exemplifies the "Little Masters"—German artists renowned for their meticulous small-scale works. As a second state of two, it reflects refinements in the printing process, allowing for widespread dissemination of biblical narratives to a growing literate and devout audience across Europe. The scene draws from the Book of Genesis, depicting the dramatic moment when...
About the Artist
Heinrich Aldegrever · 1502–1561
Heinrich Aldegrever, born in 1502 in Paderborn, Westphalia, to parents Herman and Katherine Trippenmeker—a family of clog-makers known by the dialect name Trippenmecker—emerged as a multifaceted artist in the German Renaissance. His early training remains undocumented, though he likely apprenticed in a Soest goldsmith's workshop after relocating there around 1525, where he joined the painters' gui...