Joseph Explaining His Dreams to His Brothers

"Joseph Explaining His Dreams to His Brothers" is a profound drawing attributed to Nicholas Béatrizet after the celebrated Italian High Renaissance master, Raphael. Created between 1527 and 1565, this complex work utilizes pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash, dramatically heightened with lead white. This highly skilled drawing technique, coupled with incising, emphasizes volumetric form and highlights the central action of the biblical narrative. The piece depicts the crucial moment when Joseph relates his prophetic dreams to his skeptical siblings, a narrative central to the Book of Genesis.

Béatrizet, a French artist, frequently based his sophisticated designs on the celebrated compositions of others, and this drawing stands as an important visual record, possibly documenting a lost or intended Raphael composition. It retains the classical structure and emotional clarity typical of the master’s studio and the style popular in 16th-century Italy. The dramatic use of white heightening, creating strong contrasts, suggests the work may have been a preparatory study for a reproductive engraving or part of a series intended for wide dissemination as prints across Europe. The incising indicates that the design was intended for transfer, supporting its function as a pattern.

Executed on ivory laid paper and later laid down on cream laid card, this significant Drawing is preserved within the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The widespread influence of Raphael's school during this period ensures that the foundational designs underlying works like Joseph Explaining His Dreams to His Brothers often enter the public domain for ongoing scholarly access and study.