Old Masters
Old Masters
Property from a Distinguished Private Collection, Sold Without Reserve
Lot Closed
June 11, 03:16 PM GMT
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Property from a Distinguished Private Collection, Sold Without Reserve
ATTRIBUTED TO SIMONE PIGNONI
Florence 1611 - 1698
JOSEPH AND POTIPHAR'S WIFE
oil on canvas
canvas: 34½ by 45⅝ in.; 87.4 by 115.9 cm.
framed: 42⅛ by 53½ in.; 107 by 136 cm.
Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's Olympia, 30 October 2001, lot 221;
There acquired for $18,800.
This biblical scene illustrates a story from the Book of Genesis (Chapter 39). After Joseph, the beloved son of his father, was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, he was send to Egypt and purchased by Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s guards. Here, Joseph is shown warding off the eager embrace of Potiphar’s wife, as she attempts to seduce him within the palace walls. This subject proved popular for 17th century artists, particularly insofar as its moralizing message of avoiding temptation and carnal desires was in line with the Counter-Reformation movement. In composition and style, this painting compares to the works of the Florentine artist Simone Pignoni, and a bozzetto attributed to Simone Pignoni of this same subject and with a similar composition last appeared on the market in Turin in 1991.1
1. Oil on canvas, 24 by 34 cm, Fondazione Zeri Archive ref. no. 52150.