Artist: Jan Luyken (Dutch, 1649 – 1712)
Title: Joseph is Sold by his Brothers
Medium: Antique engraving on laid paper.
Publisher: Frans Houtteyn
Reference: Hollstein / Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts c.1450-1700 ; Luyken 1905 / Het Werk van Jan en Caspar Luyken.
Dimensions: Sight size: 12 7/8 x 17 3/8 inches.
Framed Dimensions: Approximately 22 x 26 inches.
Framing: This piece has been professionally matted and framed using all new materials.
Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, who threw him in a pit and then sold him to Ishmaelite/Midianite traders for 20 pieces of silver, leading them to Egypt, where they deceived their father Jacob into believing a wild animal had killed him. This pivotal event, detailed in Genesis 37, set Joseph on a path to Egypt, where he eventually rose to power, saving the region from famine and later reuniting with his family.
Jan Luyken (1649–1712) is a well listed artist. He was a prolific Dutch poet, illustrator, and engraver, famous for his detailed, spiritually-focused prints illustrating trades, religious persecution, and mystical themes. after a youthful period of erotic poetry led to a profound conversion to Pietistic Anabaptist Christianity, he became a major figure in Dutch art and literature known for detailed realism.