Artwork
The Chastity of Joseph
The Chastity of Joseph is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Carlo Cignani. It dates from 1691 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Technique & Style
No further available details regarding the artist’s handling, surface condition, or specific stylistic characteristics are provided in the sources.
The Chastity of Joseph is executed in oil paint on a canvas support, a medium typical of seventeenth‑century Italian religious painting. The work measures approximately 262 cm in height and 192 cm in width, indicating a large‑scale format suited for devotional display. It depicts the biblical figure Joseph and was completed in 1681.
No further available details regarding the artist’s handling, surface condition, or specific stylistic characteristics are provided in the sources.
History & Provenance
The Chastity of Joseph is an oil-on-canvas painting created by Carlo Cignani in 1681. This religious work depicts the biblical figure Joseph and measures 262 cm in height by 192 cm in width. The artwork is currently held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
No specific details regarding the original commission, the identity of the initial patron, or the intermediate steps of the ownership chain are provided in the available records.
Overview
Carlo Cignani’s oil painting The Chastity of Joseph was completed in 1691. Executed in the early Baroque period, the work is now part of the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. It presents a quiet, intimate scene illuminated by a stark contrast of light and dark, focusing the viewer’s attention on the two figures within a dim interior.
Subject & Meaning
The composition portrays a biblical episode involving Joseph, the husband of Mary. One figure kneels in a loosely draped white garment, while the other stands, partially concealed by a sheet and caught in a moment of surprise. The juxtaposition of reverence and tension suggests an exploration of chastity and moral resolve within a domestic setting.
Artist & collection
Artist
Carlo Cignani (Italian pronunciation:; 15 May 1628 – 8 September 1719) was an Italian painter.
