Pharaoh with his Butler and Baker

This painting of Pharaoh with his Butler and Baker by Pontormo, in the National Gallery, London, illustrates the Old Testament episode from Genesis in which Joseph interprets the dreams of Pharaoh's imprisoned servants. Painted around 1515-1518, the subject was part of a series of paintings depicting the story of Joseph commissioned for the bridal chamber of Pierfrancesco Borgherini and Margherita Acciaiuoli in their Florentine palazzo. The Borgherini cycle, involving contributions from several leading Florentine painters, was one of the most prestigious domestic commissions of the period.

The composition shows Pontormo's early narrative inventiveness, with figures arranged in a compressed, stage-like space that emphasizes dramatic interaction. The vivid coloring and the psychologically charged gestures of the figures anticipate the more radical spatial distortions of his mature Mannerist work.