Joseph escapes from Potiphar's wife

Pieter Coecke van Aelst painted this Joseph Escapes from Potiphar's Wife around 1535, depicting the Old Testament episode in which the chaste Joseph flees from the attempts of Potiphar's wife to seduce him, leaving his garment in her hand. The subject was a classic exemplum of male chastity in the face of female temptation, making it appropriate for moral instruction in humanist households while also providing opportunity for the depiction of dramatic action and the contrast between virtuous restraint and attempted seduction. Coecke van Aelst's classical figure construction and confident spatial organization give the narrative scene a dignity appropriate to its moral content, the fleeing Joseph depicted with the physical grace and moral composure that characterized his virtue.

The narrative scene captures the dramatic moment of Joseph's flight, with the compositional tension between the two figures conveying the moral urgency of the story. Coecke's Italianate figure types and architectural setting enrich the biblical narrative.