Lot 5: Joseph being lowered into the Well

Claes Cornelisz. Moeyaert (Durgerdam, nr. Amsterdam 1591-1655 Amsterdam)
Joseph being lowered into the Well
signed with initials and dated 'CL Mf 1625' (lower left on the well)
oil on panel
14 7/8 x 21 in. (37.7 x 53.4 cm.)
in a Dutch 17th Century ebonized wood frame

Moeyaert was the son of a wealthy Amsterdam merchant and moved to the city with his family in 1605. He was the most prolific of the history painters now called the Pre-rembrandtists, who sought to represent biblical and mythological narratives with particular emphasis on the dramatic and psychological effects. He followed the likes of Adam Elsheimer, Pieter Lastman and Jan and Jacob Pynas, coming under the influence of Rembrandt himself in the mid-1630s.
Moyaert's confident handling of light later influenced his pupils, in particular Nicolaes Berchem and Jan Baptist Weenix.