Joseph weeping in his room, his brothers beyond

The Biblical episode depicted here is recounted in the Book of Genesis. Joseph, the elder of two sons of Jacob and Rachel and his father’s favourite, had been sold into slavery in Egypt by his jealous brothers. Following a period of incarceration, Pharaoh freed Joseph because he correctly interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams, and named him Vizier of Egypt. Due to his forward-thinking preparations, Joseph went on to save the people of Egypt in a period of famine. In an effort to escape the famine themselves, Joseph’s brothers travelled to Egypt in search of bread. They failed to recognise Joseph, who accused them of being spies and placed them in prison for three days. Upon releasing them, Joseph tested his brothers by asking that the youngest brother be brought to him. Understanding their remorse for the wrong they had perpetuated against him, Joseph took leave because he was overwhelmed with emotion. After composing himself, Joseph took his brother Simeon as a hostage and loaded his brothers’ donkeys with provisions to take back to Canaan, an episode which can be seen through the open doorway in the painting’s background.

The attribution of this painting has been the source of scholarly debate. While the painting's quality has long been recognised - when it appeared in the 1856 sale of the 3^rd Earl of Orford, it was rather optimistically given to Rembrandt - there has been no consensus as to its authorship. Recent suggestions have included attributions to several artists working in Rembrandt's orbit from the 1640s on, including Aert de Gelder, Jan Victors, Cornelis Bisschop and Gottfried Kneller.