Joseph Sold to Potiphar

The artwork

The boy dressed in yellow is Joseph, just sold to Potiphar, and on the left one of the merchants bends over with his back to us, his head between his legs, to pick up a coin from the ground. It comes printed on handmade Amalfi paper, in a handmade frame.

• A crowded scene, with the merchants squabbling over the payment.
• A portrait format full of figures, perfect in a study.
• A gift for anyone who loves Bible stories and details that make you smile.

In Genesis, Joseph, sold by his brothers to some merchants, ends up in Egypt in the house of Potiphar, captain of Pharaoh's guard. Pontormo painted the scene around 1515, when he was just over twenty.

The panel was one of the stories of Joseph for the bridal chamber of Pierfrancesco Borgherini. The paintings were set into the walnut panelling of the walls, the bed, the chairs and the chests; fourteen survive today, divided between London, Florence, Rome and Berlin.

The National Gallery, London, bought it in 1979 with the help of the Art Fund. Two figures in the background, a fleeing traveller and a bent old man with a stick, reappear almost unchanged in the Saint Quentin of Sansepolcro, also in our shop.

In an entrance hall or a dining room, the merchant stooping over the coin is the detail children spot first. An idea for anyone who loves scenes full of people.

Unique quality material

Print on handmade Amalfi paper
Sheet size: 40 x 60 cm (15.7 x 23.6 in)
Framed size: 42 x 62 cm (16.5 x 24.4 in)
Material: artwork printed on very fine handmade Amalfi paper with deckled edges
Frame: dark brown with a gold fillet, handmade, with glass