Isaac Blessing Jacob (Gerbrand van den Eeckhout)
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| Isaac Blessing Jacob | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Gerbrand van den Eeckhout  |
| Year | 1642 |
| Medium | oil paint, canvas |
| Dimensions | 100.6 cm (39.6 in) × 128.3 cm (50.5 in) |
| Location | Metropolitan Museum of Art |
| Accession no. | 25.110.16 |
| Identifiers | RKDimages ID: 58157 The Met object ID: 436266 |
Isaac Blessing Jacob is a 1642 religious painting by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout. It shows Jacob kneeling at the bed of his blind father Isaac under the watchful eye of his mother Rebecca as he receives his brother Esau's blessing. It is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[1]
The painting shows the biblical story quite literally, with Jacob wearing his older brother's "best jacket" (which is too large) and his hands and neck have been covered in goatskin.[2] On his back is a hunting quiver of arrows, but on the floor is a bow that has its string loose, indicating that it couldn't have been used in its current state. On a side table covered with a carpet, a still-life arrangement with napkin, salt-cellar and wine flask accompany Jacob's "tasty goat meat". The most prominent item on the table[3] is the ewer of the Amsterdam silversmith's guild, a famous silver object that itself shares a brotherly theme. Van Eeckhout's father was a member of the silversmith's guild, and the salt cellar could be one of his creations.
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