c. 1622-23

Oil on canvas

2.318m by 1.949m

Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, Mass.

The Painting.

his scene on the popular Joseph motif has been attributed to Artemisia Gentileschi because of stylistic features - the tucked and creased bed sheets (see one of the Judiths) and the unruly hair style and clothes of Potiphar's wife. Later opinions refuted the claim because of the inferior quality of the dynamic post and anatomical representation of Joseph. Paolo Finoglio is considered as the most probable author.

The Artist's Life.

here are some suggestions of the artist's seduction in this painting, although the setting swaps the genders. Joseph, who is barely out of his teens, resists the charms of an older seductress. Previous artists had depicted him as older. Artemisia portrays Potiphar's wife as apparently in control by her firm grasp of his coat.

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