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Joseph Sold into Slavery

John Skippe

1783

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism 18th Century

Dominant colour

Joseph Sold into Slavery is a 1783 ink by John Skippe, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: John Skippe
When & what style?: 1783 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This print shows a chaotic crowd of people, some standing barefoot, others in loose clothes. In the center, a man in a white robe is being dragged by two figures, while a third holds his arm. On the ground lies a broken staff or stick. The background has a rocky landscape and distant mountains. The scene looks like a dramatic moment from a story—maybe about betrayal or a fall from power. The artist used shading to make the figures pop against the flat background. Want to know more? Try looking up woodcut.