Joseph Interprets His Dream to Jacob

Lucas van Leyden · 1512
National Gallery of Art, Washington

In 1512 Lucas van Leyden engraved a series of small plates on the story of Joseph. This one is dated 1512 on the tablet over the doorway.

Old Jacob sits on a bench at the right and listens. A youth in a long coat, most likely Joseph, stands before him, while his brothers crowd round with their staffs — one points, another wears a wreath of vine leaves. Two more men wait in the doorway.

From the text

Joseph told his dream to “his father and brothers” (Genesis 37:10)

His father rebuked him (Genesis 37:10)

His brothers were jealous, but his father kept it in mind (Genesis 37:11)

The artist’s own

The brothers as Netherlandish shepherds and travellers with staffs and pouches

A hall with columns and a doorway, not a tent

A wreath of vine leaves on one brother’s head

Details

Jacob

The old father sits on a bench and listens.

Joseph

A curly-haired youth in a long coat stands before him.

The brothers

One points; another wears a wreath of vine leaves.

The doorway

Two more men wait at the door.

Lucas van Leyden, Netherlandish, c. 1489/94–1533. National Gallery of Art, Washington (Rosenwald Collection, 1943.3.5661) · Engraving · NGA Open Access: "Images of these works are available free of charge for any use, commercial or non-commercial, under Creative Commons Zero (CC0)." (NGA open data: published_images.csv openaccess = 1)

The verses

Gen 37:5–11Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain in the field, and suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to mine.” “Do you intend to reign over us?” his brothers asked. “Will you actually rule us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream and his statements. Then Joseph had another dream and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” He told his father and brothers, but his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream that you have had? Will your mother and brothers and I actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what he had said.