Spanish or Italian school; 18th century.
"Joseph... Lot 148
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Spanish or Italian school; 18th century.
"Joseph sold by his brothers".
Oil on canvas.
Preserves original canvas.
It has a period frame.
Measurements: 132 x 141 cm; 150 x 159 cm (frame).
The artist of this work plays with the ambiguity of the subject, since he offers us at first sight a meeting between a great number of men, and a young man who carries the tunic towards his eyes in such a way that he seems to cry. The scene, which seems to be based on genre painting, is in fact a devotional work depicting the passage from Genesis that alludes to the sale of Joseph by his brothers, who envied him because of the predilection their father Jacob had for him. The author has portrayed a specific moment, the most dramatic and prominent in the story, as one of Joseph's brothers points to the well where they originally intended to leave him. Despite the intensity of the subject matter, the artist presents us with a cheerfully colourful image dominated by an aesthetic that is close to Italian classicism, in which large figures are set against a peaceful landscape of golden sky.
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