Joseph's dream

A small articulated wooden lay figure stands upright on a dark table, one arm bent as if holding a chisel propped against its shoulder. Around its feet lie the tools of a carpenter's or sculptor's workshop: a hand plane, a second plane on its side, a large metal clamp, and an oversized wooden model of a right hand resting palm-down beside it.

The scene is lit by a single raking light that picks out the pale, polished wood of the figure and hand against near-total black, leaving the rest of the table and background in deep shadow. Paint is applied smoothly and precisely, rendering wood grain, metal clamps and joints with careful, almost photographic detail, giving the still life a hushed, enigmatic stillness.