The Feast Given by Joseph for His Brothers
Bronzino·1550
Historical Context
The Feast Given by Joseph for His Brothers at the Walters Art Museum is one of Bronzino's elaborate biblical narrative paintings. The Old Testament subject is treated with the artifice and elegant complexity characteristic of Florentine Mannerism. His portraits project an aristocratic detachment and cool psychological distance that perfectly embodied Medici court ideology. Characteristic of Bronzino's approach, the work displays cool, polished surfaces, elongated elegance, enigmatic psychological distance.
Technical Analysis
The crowded feast scene is rendered with meticulous attention to costume, architecture, and the varied expressions of the biblical figures, the artificial coloring typical of Bronzino's narrative style.
