Who painted Joseph and His Brothers?

Joseph and His Brothers was painted by Joseph Wagner in 1745.

Where can I see Joseph and His Brothers?

Joseph and His Brothers is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Joseph and His Brothers?

Joseph and His Brothers is associated with Baroque.

Can I buy a print of Joseph and His Brothers?

Museum-quality prints of Joseph and His Brothers are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Joseph and His Brothers

Joseph Wagner , 1745

Joseph and His Brothers is an ink print by the Baroque artist Joseph Wagner. It dates from 1745 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:lower left in plate: G.Zocchi inven. / aa 11.; lower right in plate: Ex Calcographia Iosephi Wagner Venetiis C.P.E.S.; across bottom in plate inscription in four lines

About this work

Overview

Joseph Wagner’s print titled Joseph and His Brothers is an early‑mid‑18th‑century work executed in etching and engraving on laid paper. Dated to around 1745, the image is a black‑and‑white composition that measures roughly the size of a typical hand‑held print of the period.

Subject & Meaning

The scene depicts four male figures gathered in a forested setting. An older man wearing a turban embraces a younger companion who holds a staff, while a third figure gestures toward them and a fourth leans against a tree, looking downward. The arrangement suggests a moment of dialogue or reunion among relatives, echoing the biblical narrative of Joseph’s encounter with his brothers.

Technique & Style

Wagner combines etching’s fluid lines with the sharper incisions of engraving to render intricate textures in clothing folds, foliage, and the rocky ground. The fine cross‑hatching creates subtle tonal variations, while the delineated outlines give the figures a clear presence against the wooded backdrop, characteristic of detailed printmaking in the mid‑1700s.

History & Provenance

The work was produced in Wagner’s workshop in the 1740s, a period when he was active in Venice and known for reproducing religious and mythological subjects. The print has circulated among European collections since its creation, appearing in several 19th‑century catalogues of Wagner’s oeuvre, though its precise ownership trail remains partially undocumented.

Context

During the mid‑18th century, prints served both as decorative objects and as means of disseminating biblical stories to a broad audience. Wagner’s choice of a familiar scriptural episode reflects contemporary interest in moralizing subjects, while the forest setting aligns with the period’s taste for pastoral and narrative landscapes.