Joseph's Brethren Discover Money in Their Grain Sacks

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A hatful of coins is the central focus of this composition and its narrative. Having rid themselves of Joseph as a child, his ten brothers travel to Egypt to buy corn when famine plagues their homeland (Genesis 42:1–28). They fail to recognize Joseph, now the governor, as he accuses them of spying and imprisons them, only to release them three days later so that they can buy food. The panel narrates the moment when, on their way home, the brothers discover in one of the sacks the money they thought they had already spent and worry that they will be accused of theft. The tight grouping of the figures enhances the moment’s tension.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art