Artwork
Joseph und Potiphars Weib I (Joseph and Potiphar's Wife I)
Joseph und Potiphars Weib I (Joseph and Potiphar's Wife I) is an ink print by Lovis Corinth. It dates from 1914 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1914, *Joseph und Potiphars Weib I* is a drypoint print on wove paper by German artist Lovis Corinth. Executed entirely in black, the image captures a moment from the biblical narrative in which Joseph resists the seductive overtures of Potiphar’s wife. The composition is rendered with loose, scratchy lines that convey tension and immediacy.
Subject & Meaning
The work illustrates the Old Testament episode in which Joseph, a servant in Potiphar’s household, refuses the advances of his master’s wife. By focusing on the physical proximity of the two figures—a reclining man partially covered by a sheet and a woman leaning forward—the print emphasizes moral resistance and the conflict between desire and duty.
Technique & Style
Corinth employed the drypoint method, incising the image directly onto a metal plate; the resulting burr creates a characteristic rough, velvety line that remains visible after printing. Executed in a single black tone, the piece reflects Corinth’s post‑stroke shift toward a synthesis of impressionistic lightness and expressionist vigor, evident in the gestural, energetic strokes.
History & Provenance
Produced just before the outbreak of World War I, it exemplifies his move away from naturalistic detail toward more emotionally charged compositions.
The print belongs to the later phase of Corinth’s career, following a 1911 stroke that altered his visual language and intensified his use of expressive line work. Produced just before the outbreak of World War I, it exemplifies his move away from naturalistic detail toward more emotionally charged compositions. Its ownership record remains primarily within private collections and museum holdings specializing in early 20th‑century German prints.
Artist & collection
Artist
Lovis Corinth was a German artist and writer whose mature work as a painter and printmaker realized a synthesis of impressionism and expressionism.
Akt mit hochgehobenem Hemd (Woman Undressing)
Susanna im Bade (Susanna in the Bath)
The Murder (Le Meurtre)
The Dead Man (Der tote Mann)
Three Acrobats
Cain and Abel
Getting Up (Le lever)
Der Kuss (The Kiss)
Frauenraub III (Abduction III)
Le repos du modèle (4e planche) (The Model's Rest) (fourth plate)
Misery (La Misère)
Joseph und Potiphars Weib II (Joseph and Potiphar's Wife II)