Joseph receives his Brothers on their Second Visit to Egypt

This painting is one of a series of panels that decorated the bedchamber of the Borgherini palace in Florence. Together, they tell the life of Joseph from the Old Testament (Genesis 43).

Joseph, who had been sold into slavery in Egypt as a boy by his half-brothers, foretold a famine from a dream Pharaoh had, and advised him to stockpile grain. Made vizier of Egypt, Joseph received his half-brothers who came in search of grain, but they did not recognise him. He accused them of spying and demanded that they bring their younger brother to Egypt to prove their honesty.

In this painting, they return to Egypt with their youngest brother, Benjamin – the little boy wearing blue – and gifts from their father. They present the gifts to Joseph in the centre, still not realising he is the brother they sold. Joseph sends them back home with a precious cup hidden in Benjamin’s sack. The outline of the cup is visible below Benjamin’s hand.

Text: © The National Gallery, London

Painting photographed in its frame by Google Arts & Culture, 2023.