Masters of the Life of Christ

Masters/James Tissot/The Vision of Saint Joseph

The Vision of Saint Joseph, opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper by James Tissot, 1886–1894

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Joseph has fallen asleep on the ground, still in his cloak, troubled about what to do. Above him the dark room opens into a burst of light where an angel’s face appears. “Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife,” the angel says, and Joseph will rise and do it.

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Where to see it

Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York.

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Image and sources

Image: Brooklyn Museum, via Wikimedia Commons. The work itself is in the public domain.

Masters of the Life of Christ

A free gallery from Weak Things. The paintings and prints shown here are in the public domain, and each painting page credits its image source. In the United States, faithful photographs of public-domain paintings are not copyrightable (Bridgeman v. Corel). Works by Arnold Friberg, Harry Anderson and Del Parson are under copyright and are not shown; their wings link to official sources.

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