Artwork
Joseph and Potiphar's Wife
Joseph and Potiphar's Wife is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Anthoni Schoonjans. It dates from 1696 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work’s iconography centers on the moment of accusation that follows, foreshadowing Joseph’s unjust imprisonment and eventual rise to power in Egypt.
The painting depicts the biblical scene in which Joseph resists the advances of Potiphar’s wife, a moment drawn from Genesis 39. Schoonjans portrays Joseph turning away as the woman seizes his garment, emphasizing his moral resistance to temptation. The composition underscores the virtue of chastity and divine favor, as Joseph’s steadfastness contrasts with the woman’s pursuit.
The work’s iconography centers on the moment of accusation that follows, foreshadowing Joseph’s unjust imprisonment and eventual rise to power in Egypt. By rendering the figures’ gestures and expressions, the artist highlights the moral conflict between desire and integrity, a narrative of fidelity and divine justice.
Technique & Style
Created in 1690, Anthoni Schoonjans's Joseph and Potiphar's Wife is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. The work measures 222 cm in height and 141 cm in width, presenting a substantial physical presence typical of large-scale religious narrative paintings of the period. As a religious genre piece, the handling of the medium serves to dramatize the biblical encounter between Joseph and Zulaikha.
The painting is currently held within the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections at the Alte Pinakothek.
History & Provenance
The painting Joseph and Potiphar's Wife was created by Anthoni Schoonjans in 1690. Executed in oil on canvas, the work measures 222 cm in height and 141 cm in width. It is currently held within the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections, where it is displayed at the Alte Pinakothek. The artwork depicts the biblical narrative involving Joseph and Zulaikha, categorized within the genre of religious art.
The painting Joseph and Potiphar's Wife by Anthoni Schoonjans is held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections. Within this institution, the work resides at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. The provided sources do not specify a unique inventory or accession number for the piece, nor do they document any exhibition history.
Context
Anton Schoonjans painted Joseph and Potiphar's Wife in 1690 as an oil on canvas work portraying Joseph and Zulaikha in a religious scene. The painting is part of the Bavarian State Painting Collections, housed at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. It belongs to the broader corpus of 17th-century European religious art and reflects the Baroque era's emphasis on narrative biblical moments.
Art historical scholarship situates this work within Schoonjans' devotional oeuvre, noting his role as a Flemish painter active in Central Europe during the late 17th century. The composition draws on biblical storytelling traditions common in Counter-Reformation art, though specific critical commentary on this piece remains sparse in major art historical surveys.
Legacy
Joseph and Potiphar's Wife by Anthoni Schoonjans exerted limited documented influence on later artistic practice, remaining chiefly noted for its provenance within the Bavarian State Painting Collections and display at the Alte Pinakothek. The work's reputation is anchored in its religious genre and 1690 execution in oil on canvas, yet no significant later interpretations or stylistic impacts are recorded in the available sources. Its legacy is primarily institutional, preserved as part of Munich's holdings rather than shaping subsequent artistic movements.
Overview
Anthoni Schoonjans, a Flemish painter whose career spanned the turn of the 18th century, completed the oil work Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife in 1696. Executed as a history painting within the Flemish Baroque tradition, the canvas is now part of the Alte Pinakothek’s collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Anthoni Schoonjans, nicknamed Parhasius (1655 – 13 August 1726) was a Flemish painter known for his portraits as well as his history paintings.
