Saint Joseph Seeks a Lodging in Bethlehem (Saint Joseph cherche un gîte à Bethléem)
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Object Label
In the biblical narrative, Mary and Joseph live in Nazareth but must journey to Bethlehem, the ancestral home of Joseph’s family, to be counted in a census imposed by the Romans. On their arrival in the town, Joseph searches for lodgings without success. Tissot contrasts Joseph’s anxious plea—calling up to townspeople in hopes of finding accommodation—with the Virgin Mary’s quiet resignation.
Tissot’s expeditions to the Middle East in the 1880s provided rich source material for his watercolor compositions. The thick masonry walls and labyrinthine alleys of Jaffa, an ancient port city near modern Tel Aviv in Israel, serve here, with minor revisions, as the backdrop of Bethlehem.
Caption
James Tissot Nantes, France, 1836–1902, Chenecey–Buillon, France. Saint Joseph Seeks a Lodging in Bethlehem (Saint Joseph cherche un gîte à Bethléem), 1886–1894. Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, Image: 10 7/16 x 6 5/8 in. (26.5 x 16.8 cm) Sheet: 10 7/16 x 6 5/8 in. (26.5 x 16.8 cm) Frame: 20 x 15 x 1 1/2 in. (50.8 x 38.1 x 3.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.23. No known copyright restrictions (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 00.159.23_PS1.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Saint Joseph Seeks a Lodging in Bethlehem (Saint Joseph cherche un gîte à Bethléem)
Date
1886–1894
Geography
Place made: France
Medium
Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper
Classification
Dimensions
Image: 10 7/16 x 6 5/8 in. (26.5 x 16.8 cm) Sheet: 10 7/16 x 6 5/8 in. (26.5 x 16.8 cm) Frame: 20 x 15 x 1 1/2 in. (50.8 x 38.1 x 3.8 cm)
Signatures
Signed bottom right: "J.J. Tissot"
Credit Line
Purchased by public subscription
Accession Number
00.159.23
Rights
No known copyright restrictions
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