Gaspare Diziani (1689 - 1767), Joseph sold to Potiphar

GASPARE DIZIANI (Belluno 1689 – Venice 1767)
Joseph Sold to Potiphar
Oil on canvas, 118 x 196 cm; framed 140 x 218.5 cm
circa 1725–1730

Gaspare Diziani, one of the most important venetian painters of 18th-century, studied in the workshop of Antonio Lazzarini in Belluno and, after moving to Venice, with Gregorio Lazzarini. Sebastiano Ricci had the greatest influence on his painting, and thanks to him he acquired great fame throughout his life. This fame was primarily due to his design of theatrical sets, which employed him in Venetian theaters and earned him a call to serve in the service of Augustus III of Saxony in Dresden and Munich. In the following years, he worked in various cities in the Veneto region, including Treviso and Padua, and spent time in Rome, Bergamo, and Trento, producing works ranging from historical, mythological, and religious works, as well as portraits and landscapes.

The work depicts the famous Old Testament episode in which Joseph, one of Jacob's twelve sons, is sold into slavery by his own brothers to Potiphar, the king of Egypt's chief guard.

From Egidio Martini's expert opinion:
"The painting depicting 'Joseph Sold to Potiphar' is, in my opinion, a certain work by Gaspare Diziani (Belluno 1689 – Venice 1767). It is one of his most stylistically robust paintings, where the form is modeled with an almost sculptural touch. This singular quality, however, does not compromise the color values ??of the work, which, here too, as always in Diziani, are presented with a richness and splendor of beautiful hues. Precisely because of these formal characteristics, I believe the painting was executed between 1725 and 1730, very similar to the ceiling of the Parish Church of Borbiago (VE), completed before 1732 (see Vincenzo da Canal, Vita del Lazzarini, 1809) and, again, to the Galante Scene, from the same period, in the Lapicirella collection in Florence, illustrated in my 'Venetian Painting of the 'Settecento', 1964, fig. 169.

The painting was published by F. Valcanover in "Studi Trentini di Scienze Storiche", year LX, no. 2, 1981, p. 290.

In 2025, the Soprintendenza of Piedmont recognized the work as being of interest to the national cultural heritage, calling it a "painting of great quality" and "an important addition to the master's catalogue." The painting is accompanied by Certificate of Free Circulation no. 101411 of 01/07/2024, issued by the Export Office of Milan.