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Joseph and Potiphar's wife: 23.K.5-49

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Current Location: In storage

Titles

Joseph and Potiphar's wife

Maker(s)

Printmaker: Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn
Printmaker: Unknown (Reworked)

Entities

Categories

Description

Bedroom scene with a male figure (Joseph) dragging a semi-naked woman (Potiphar's wife) from a bed with drapes and posts and a pattered and fringed bedspread pulled back at the foot. The woman clings onto him trying to pull him towards her, A chamber pot is underneath the bed near the man's left foot.

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1816) by Fitzwilliam, Richard, 7th Viscount

Dating

17th Century
Production date: AD 1634

Note

Posthumous impression, after fine mechanical parallel shading was added with a mezzotint rocker to most shadowy areas, not by Rembrandt.

School or Style

Dutch

Materials used in production

Black carbon ink

Components of the work

Support composed of Oriental paper ( extremely thin laid paper; Chinese?; chainlines vertical (17/18mm))
Image Height 91 mm Width 114 mm
Sheet Height 92 mm Width 117 mm

Techniques used in production

Engraving
Etching

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: Rembrandt. f.
  • Location: Image lower left
  • Method of creation: Printed
  • Type: Signature
  • Text: 1634.
  • Location: Image lower left, following the above
  • Method of creation: Printed
  • Type: Date

Inscription present: Lugt 932

  • Text: FITZWILLIAM MUSEUM
  • Location: Verso
  • Method of creation: Black ink
  • Type: Stamp
  • Text: 23.K.5-49
  • Location: Verso
  • Method of creation: Black ink
  • Type: Stamp

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: 23.K.5-49
Primary reference Number: 48135
New Hollstein (Dutch/Flemish): 128 II/IV
Hollstein (Dutch/Flemish): B39 II/II
Biörklund/Barnard: BB34-G II/II
Old location number: 38.5.4a

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Friday 8 August 2025

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Paintings, Drawings and Prints

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Joseph and Potiphar's wife" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/48135 Accessed: 2025-12-17 23:41:20

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/48135 |title=Joseph and Potiphar's wife |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-17 23:41:20|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-48135

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