Joseph Recounting His Dreams

early 1640s

Rembrandt van Rijn

Associated Names
Rembrandt van Rijn

Artist, Dutch, 1606 - 1669

This is a drawing of a group of figures gathered in a room. The composition features multiple figures, engaged in a discussion or teaching scenario. One figure on the right is standing and gesturing with their hand, possibly addressing the seated figures to the left. The background is softly washed, suggesting a dimly lit interior space. The drawing employs loose, expressive lines that capture the movement and attitude of the figures. The balance of dense, detailed areas with more sparsely drawn sections gives a sense of dynamism to the scene. The use of pen, ink, and wash provides depth and contrast, emphasizing certain characters and their interactions.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    reed pen and brown ink with brown wash, heightened with white, on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Woodner Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 17.3 x 22.4 cm (6 13/16 x 8 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1991.182.12

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Benesch 1973, no. 527

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Mlle M. Hoofman (sale, Haarlem, Engesmet, 9 June 1846, no. A.33: Eene Historiëele Ordonnantie met 14 beelden, met de pen en O.I. inkt [a historical composition with 14 figures, in pen and Indian ink]); Gérard Leembruggen Jz. (his sale, Amsterdam, Roos, Engelberts, Lamma and Roos, 5 March 1866, no. 470); to Jan Six (sale, Amsterdam, Muller, 16 October 1928, lot 62); Lady Violet Melchett; Matthiesen Gallery; purchased by Paul Havatny, 1947 (his sale, London, Christie's, 24 June 1980, lot 74); Henry Hudson; purchased by Ian Woodner, New York, 24 May 1984; by inheritance to his daughters, Andrea and Dian Woodner, New York, 1990; gift to NGA, 1991.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1956

  • Rembrandt, 1606-1956, Boymans Museum, Rotterdam and Amsterdam, 1956, no. 88.

1985

  • Master Drawings from the Woodner Collection, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, 1985, no. 100 (checklist only).

1986

  • Dibujos de los siglos XIV al XX: Colección Woodner, Museo del Prado, 1986-87, no. 75.

  • Meisterzeichnungen aus Sechs Jahrhunderten: Die Sammlung Ian Woodner, Haus der Kunst, Munich and Vienna, 1986, no. 63.

1987

  • Master Drawings: The Woodner Collection, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1987, no. 63.

1990

  • Master Drawings from the Woodner Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1990, no. 77.

1995

  • The Touch of the Artist: Master Drawings from the Woodner Collections, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1995-1996, no. 70, as "attributed to."

2006

  • Master Drawings from the Woodner Collections, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2006 - 2007.

  • Strokes of Genius: Rembrandt's Prints and Drawings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

2017

  • The Woodner Collections: Master Drawings from Seven Centuries, NGA, 2017.

Bibliography

1877

  • Vosmaer, Carel. Rembrandt. Sa vie et ses oeuvres. The Hague, 1877: 585.

1888

  • Lippmann, F. and Hofstede de Groot, C. Original Drawings by Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn Reproduced in Phototype. 4 vols. Berlin and elsewhere, 1888-1911: I; no. 7.

1906

  • Hofstede de Groot, Cornelis. Die Handzeichnungen Rembrandts. Haarlem, 1906: no. 1231.

1921

  • Bredt, E.W. Rembrandt - Bibel: Altes Testament, Neues Testament. Munich, 1921: 39.

1925

  • Valentiner, Wilhelm R. Rembrandt: Des Meisters Handzeichnungen. 2 vols. Stuttgart-Berlin, 1925-1934: I: no. 87.

1926

  • Kauffmann, H. "Zur Kritik der Rembrandtzeichnungen." Repertorium für Kunstwissenschaft XLVII (1926): 169.

1935

  • Benesch, Otto. Rembrandt: Werk und Forschung. Vienna, 1935: 37.

1937

  • Münz, L. Die graphischen Kunste. Vienna, 1937: II: 105.

1954

  • Benesch, Otto. The Drawings of Rembrandt. 6 vols. London, 1954-1957: 3I:no. 527, fig. 657.

1961

  • Haverkamp-Begemann, E. Review of Benesch 1954-7. Kunstchronik. XIV (1961): 51-2.

1964

  • Benesch, Otto. 'Neuentdeckte Zeichnungen von Rembrandt.' Jahrbuch der Berliner Museen 6 (1964): 123, no. 11.

1965

  • Slive, Seymour. Drawings of Rembrandt. 2 vols. New York, 1965: I: pl. 224.

1973

  • Benesch, Otto. The Drawings of Rembrandt. 6 vols. London: Phaidon, 1973. (enlarged and edited by Eva Benesch from 1954-1957 ed.)527

1984

  • de Bayser, Bruno. "Rêves de collectionneur." Connaissance des arts December 1984: 77, 79.

1992

  • Royalton-Kisch, Martin. Drawings by Rembrandt and His Circle in the British Museum. Exh. cat. British Museum, London, 1992: 102, mentioned under no. 38 and note 5.

1995

  • The Touch of the Artist: Master Drawings from the Woodner Collections. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1995-1996: no. 70.

2012

  • Royalton-Kisch, Martin. The Drawings of Rembrandt: a Revision of Otto Benesch's Catalogue Raisonné online reference, 2012 - in progress. (rembrandtcatalogue.net, Benesch 527, 8 August 2021, accessed 14 January 2025), as "Ferdinand Bol?/Rembrandt?? Retouched by Rembrandt."

Wikidata ID

Q64620316

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