Cleveland Museum of Art
Plate 11: Joseph
Jacob de Gheyn IILinkedCulture matchlcp-1e09998c4abf
- Date
- c. 1589
- Medium
- engraving
- Culture
- Netherlands
- Department
- Prints
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Object ID
- 681932
From the Cleveland Museum of Art record
In this print, the biblical figure Joseph holds a bow next to a quiver of arrows, symbolizing God’s deliverance and protection of Joseph and his people. This is one of a series of prints depicting the twelve sons of Jacob, each with an attribute and costume that denotes his character. According to the Old Testament, Jacob blessed each of his twelve sons, prophesizing the destiny of their tribe, and assigning them a parcel of land in Canaan. The print series was made in the Netherlands in the late 16th century, a time of political struggle when Old Testament heroes were popular exemplars of fortitude and patience. The abundantly flowing fountain in this image may refer to Jacob’s blessing to his son Joseph that he would enjoy a double portion of inheritance.
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Provenance & credit
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- Credit line
- Carole W. and Charles B. Rosenblatt Endowment Fund
- Provenance
- April 1998: (Sotheby’s, New York, NY), sold to James Bergquist, Boston, MA, April 1998 | 1998–2024: (James Bergquist, Boston, MA), sold to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 1998–2024 | December 9, 2024–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
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