Joseph Interpreting the Dreams of Pharoah's Chief Butler and Baker
Genesis (40.1-23) tells how Joseph, unjustly imprisoned in Egypt by Potiphar, correctly interprets the dreams of pharoah's baker and butler. This will eventually lead to his release and appointment as chief minister to the pharoah. Joseph stands here between the baker who leans on his elbow and looks at a basket of bread, and the butler who squeezes a bunch of grapes into a cup. When the print was made, the related painting was attributed to Ribera, known as Lo Spagnoletto (the Little Spaniard).
Artwork Details
- Title: Joseph Interpreting the Dreams of Pharoah's Chief Butler and Baker
- Artist: Alexander Bannerman (British, born Cambridge ca. 1730, active through 1792)
- Former Attribution: Formerly said to be after Jusepe de Ribera (called Lo Spagnoletto) (Spanish, Játiva 1591–1652 Naples)
- Publisher: John Boydell (British, Dorrington, Shropshire 1720–1804 London)
- Collector: Associated with Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough
- Date: 1766–67
- Medium: Etching and engraving; proof
- Dimensions: 27 3/8 × 16 1/8 in. (69.5 × 41 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Georgiana W. Sargent, in memory of John Osborne Sargent, 1924
- Object Number: 24.63.1853
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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