Artwork
Joseph Telling His Dreams
Joseph Telling His Dreams is an ink print by the Baroque artist Rembrandt. It dates from 1638 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Rembrandt’s 1638 etching titled Joseph Telling His Dreams depicts a densely populated interior where a youthful figure listens intently to an older man’s words. The composition centers on the young man seated on the ground, his gaze directed upward toward the speaker, while surrounding figures crowd the scene, their bodies and gestures suggesting a collective focus on the dialogue.
Subject & Meaning
The print illustrates the biblical episode in which Joseph recounts his prophetic visions to his family. The varied expressions and attentive postures of the onlookers convey the tension and curiosity surrounding the revelation, emphasizing the narrative’s themes of revelation, doubt, and familial response.
Technique & Style
Executed in copperplate etching, the work relies on incisive, crisp lines to render facial features and textured garments, giving the figures a tactile realism. The background is filled with dense, tangled strokes that suggest foliage or a shadowy environment, creating depth and a contrast between the illuminated foreground and the darker periphery.
History & Provenance
Created in 1638, this print belongs to Rembrandt’s early period of narrative etchings, a time when he explored biblical subjects through the medium of printmaking. It has been documented in several collections of his works and remains a representative example of his skill in translating complex stories into the graphic language of etching.
Artist & collection
Artist
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), known mononymously as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and draughtsman.
