"Joseph and Putiphar's wife",C. von STEUBEN,1842

Painting depicting the biblical story of “Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife,” taken from Genesis and also recounted in Sura 12 of the Quran (Yusuf).  This theme, in which Joseph resists the advances of the wife of one of Pharaoh’s officers, has inspired numerous works of art. Signed “Steuben, 1842” in the lower right corner.  Charles von Steuben, a student of Gérard, R. Lefèvre, and Prud’hon, exhibited at the Salon from 1812 to 1843.  A specialist in portraits and history painting, his works can be found at the Council of State, the Musée du Luxembourg, the Versailles History Museum (Gallery of Battles), and in Lille, Valenciennes, and Nantes.  Exhibited in 1843, “Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife” was defended by the journal *L’Artiste* but criticized by Houssaye and Pelletan. Read the excellent essay by Eva-Frederique Bouillo, “Charles Von Steuben, From Glory to Oblivion: The Reasons for a Posthumous Legacy in the Shadows,” 2009.