Cleveland Museum of Art

Joseph Interprets the Dreams in Prison

Lucas van LeydenLinkedCulture matchlcp-0101cd592d86

Date: 1512
Medium: engraving
Culture: Netherlands, 16th century
Department: Prints
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID: 107650

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

In the book of Genesis, Joseph, a son of Jacob, is the model of a righteous man who overcomes adversity by following God. This scene shows how, imprisoned in Egypt, two fellow prisoners ask Joseph to interpret their dreams. On the right, we see the cupbearer’s dream, in which he squeezes grapes into the pharaoh’s cup to offer wine. Joseph interprets this to mean that the man will be released and restored to his former life. The baker’s dream, on the left, unfortunately has the opposite interpretation, leading to the man’s execution. According to Christian people, the wine and bread references also foretell Christ’s death and resurrection.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line: Gift of Ralph King
Provenance: ?–1925: Ralph King [1855–1926], Cleveland Heights, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH | January 15, 1925–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH