He rests his chin on his hand and looks into the distance.
Bible in art · Matthew
The Anxiety of Saint Joseph (L'anxiété de Saint Joseph)
James Tissot · 1886–1894
Brooklyn Museum, New York
Matthew says only that Joseph planned to divorce Mary quietly. Tissot imagined the moment in his carpenter’s shop: planks lean against the posts, wood shavings curl across the floor, and a basket of tools lies under the bench.
Joseph has stopped working. He leans on his bench with his chin on his hand and a chisel in the other, staring ahead. Through the open front, women with water jars on their heads pass in the street.
From the text
- Mary is found to be with child before they come together (Matthew 1:18)
- Joseph, “a righteous man,” resolves to divorce her quietly (Matthew 1:19)
The artist’s own
- The carpenter’s shop, with bench, planks and shavings
- The street outside with women carrying jars
Details
Joseph
The chisel
His other hand still holds a chisel on the bench.
The street
A woman with a jar on her head walks past the open front.
Tools
A basket of tools and curls of wood shavings on the floor.
James Tissot, French, 1836–1902. Brooklyn Museum, New York (Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.20) · Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper · Brooklyn Museum (Commons file page, «Permission»): "This image was uploaded by the Brooklyn Museum as a content partnership, and is considered to have no known copyright restrictions by the institutions of the Brooklyn Museum." — "No known copyright restrictions".