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Lot Essay
Praised by John T. Spike in his 1999 catalogue raisonné as 'an erotic masterpiece' by Mattia Preti (op. cit.), this painting, which has remained in the same collection for nearly half a century, may have originally been intended as an overdoor. Preti had an exceptionally long career as a painter, spanning nearly sixty years. Despite his longevity, he painted the subject of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife on just two occasions. The present work dates to the 1670s or '80s, after Preti had settled in Malta. This depiction of the scene from the Book of Genesis (39:7-20) depicts Potiphar’s wife, who is not named in the Bible, seated on her bed grabbing at Joseph’s cloak. The story climaxes when Potiphar’s wife became so angered by Joseph’s rejection of her repeated advances that she accuses him of rape. Using a piece of his torn robe as evidence, she reports the false crime to her husband, Potiphar, captain of the Pharaoh’s guard. Joseph was then sent to prison, where his interpretation of the dreams of his fellow inmates would lead to his presence in the Pharaoh’s household.
This story was especially popular in seventeenth-century Italian art, both because of its appeal to Counter-Reformation sobriety and the freedom it afforded artists to revel in the depiction of flesh, as Preti does so successfully - and disparately - in his two treatments of the subject. In his earlier example, datable to fifty years before the present painting, Preti shows Joseph from behind, emerging from a dark background and fleeing Potiphar’s wife who in turn leaps forward, her clothes falling away, to grab at his cloak (fig.1; private collection). In the present painting, Potiphar’s wife takes a more passive role, remaining seated and modestly covering her breast with one arm while reaching for Joseph’s cloak with the other. Although Preti’s compositional and narrative methods differ, the message is the same: Potiphar’s wife serves to warn the viewer of the dangers of carnal desire, while Joseph reminds them that virtue is not always immediately rewarded.
In 1661, Preti took up residence in Malta, having previously been elevated to the station of Knight of Grace in the Order of Saint John. Shortly after his move to Malta, he renovated the interior of the Cathedral of Saint John in Valetta with a series of paintings depicting the life and martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist. The project took nearly five years to complete (1661-6) and gained for Preti a devoted following among members of the Order, as well as the wealthy patrons whom they introduced to the artist. During this prolific period, Preti reined in the coloristic palette he employed in his early years in Rome and Naples. This restraint is evident in the present work, where the background elements are modelled in rich ochers and tans, punctuated only by his signature acidic red, here used for Joseph’s tunic, and the brilliant white cloth draped around Potiphar's wife's porcelain skin. The protagonists' expressive faces and the theatrical light effects heighten the inherent drama of this seminal moment in the narrative.
We are grateful to Keith Sciberras for endorsing the attribution on the basis of photographs (private communication, 9 November 2023).
This story was especially popular in seventeenth-century Italian art, both because of its appeal to Counter-Reformation sobriety and the freedom it afforded artists to revel in the depiction of flesh, as Preti does so successfully - and disparately - in his two treatments of the subject. In his earlier example, datable to fifty years before the present painting, Preti shows Joseph from behind, emerging from a dark background and fleeing Potiphar’s wife who in turn leaps forward, her clothes falling away, to grab at his cloak (fig.1; private collection). In the present painting, Potiphar’s wife takes a more passive role, remaining seated and modestly covering her breast with one arm while reaching for Joseph’s cloak with the other. Although Preti’s compositional and narrative methods differ, the message is the same: Potiphar’s wife serves to warn the viewer of the dangers of carnal desire, while Joseph reminds them that virtue is not always immediately rewarded.
In 1661, Preti took up residence in Malta, having previously been elevated to the station of Knight of Grace in the Order of Saint John. Shortly after his move to Malta, he renovated the interior of the Cathedral of Saint John in Valetta with a series of paintings depicting the life and martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist. The project took nearly five years to complete (1661-6) and gained for Preti a devoted following among members of the Order, as well as the wealthy patrons whom they introduced to the artist. During this prolific period, Preti reined in the coloristic palette he employed in his early years in Rome and Naples. This restraint is evident in the present work, where the background elements are modelled in rich ochers and tans, punctuated only by his signature acidic red, here used for Joseph’s tunic, and the brilliant white cloth draped around Potiphar's wife's porcelain skin. The protagonists' expressive faces and the theatrical light effects heighten the inherent drama of this seminal moment in the narrative.
We are grateful to Keith Sciberras for endorsing the attribution on the basis of photographs (private communication, 9 November 2023).