Joseph Presents his Brothers to Pharaoh c.1540-50
Oil on panel | 126.4 x 77.8 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 402983
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The episode is from Genesis xlvii. 1-3. Pharaoh, enthroned at the centre, is facing right towards Joseph, who gestures to his brothers (four figures, two suppliant, on the left). Behind the throne are soldiers and (possibly) priests; in the background is the courtyard and dome of a palace. This panel is related to two more in the Royal Collection which depict scenes from the life of Joseph. The panels were all bevelled on their front faces, suggesting that they were created for a specific decorative purpose, perhaps to be set into the walls of a room, an organ-loft, or even a ceiling.
Provenance
One of a set of three (RCIN 402907 & 402983-4), one of which bears the red wax seal of the Capel family; all three presumably part of the group of paintings acquired in 1731 with the lease of Kew House from Lady Elizabeth Capel by Frederick, Prince of Wales; recorded in the Queen's Drawing Room at Kensington Palace in 1818 (no 153)
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Creator(s)
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Medium and techniques
Oil on panel
Measurements
126.4 x 77.8 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)
138.4 x 92.9 x 5.5 cm (frame, external)
Category
Object type(s)