Artwork
Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dream
Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dream is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Nicolas Poussin. It dates from 1637 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Nicolas Poussin's 1637 oil painting depicts the biblical narrative of Joseph interpreting Pharaoh's dream, a scene rooted in religious art traditions.
Nicolas Poussin's 1637 oil painting depicts the biblical narrative of Joseph interpreting Pharaoh's dream, a scene rooted in religious art traditions. The work visually represents the moment Joseph, a central figure in the story, provides the divine explanation for the monarch's vision regarding the future of Egypt. As a religious genre piece, the painting focuses on the theological significance of prophecy and divine revelation within the Old Testament context.
The composition centers on the interaction between Joseph and Pharaoh to illustrate the transfer of wisdom and the fulfillment of prophetic insight.
Technique & Style
Created in 1637, this religious painting by Nicolas Poussin is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. The work depicts the biblical figure Joseph, adhering to the conventions of religious art through its chosen medium and subject matter. As a painted composition from the mid-17th century, the piece utilizes standard materials of the period to render its narrative scene.
History & Provenance
Nicolas Poussin created the oil painting Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dream in 1637. The work is executed on canvas and depicts the biblical figure Joseph. It is currently held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. The inception date is recorded as January 1, 1637.
Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dream is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Denmark, where it is part of the museum's holdings of paintings by Nicolas Poussin. The work is catalogued as a religious oil-on-canvas painting dated to 1637. No specific inventory or accession number, nor any documented exhibition history, is provided in the available sources.
Overview
Created in 1637 by Nicolas Poussin, a French painter active in Rome, this oil painting portrays a biblical episode in which Joseph interprets a dream for the Egyptian ruler. The composition is set in a modestly illuminated interior, with a seated pharaoh and a gesturing figure surrounded by attentive onlookers. The work is part of the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
Context
The work reflects the 17th‑century fascination with biblical subjects rendered for a learned audience. Poussin’s choice of a narrative moment that combines political authority and divine insight aligns with contemporary interests in moral instruction and the power of reason. The tranquil landscape visible through the window provides a visual counterpoint to the interior drama, a device common in Baroque storytelling.
Artist & collection
Artist
Nicolas Poussin (UK: US: French:; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was a leading painter of the classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome.
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Allegorie
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Enthaltsamkeit des Scipio- Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dream