Isaac and Jacob
José de Ribera (1591-1652)
Spanish Painting (17th Century)

Technical Information:
Catalogue No: 1118
Dimensions: 1.29 x 2.89m
Type of Painting: Oil on canvas
Date: 1637



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The story of Isaac and Jacob depicted in this painting is based on Genesis Chapter 27, and recounts how Rebecca and her son Jacob deceived the old and blind Isaac. The deception was planned beforehand so that Isaac would not realise that Jacob had taken the place of his brother Esau. Jacob not only bought the rights of the first-born son with a plate of lentils, but then deceived his elderly father into giving him his blessing before the old man died. To achieve this he covered his arm with a goat's skin in order to imitate the hairy forearm of his brother Esau. Isaac felt the arm and said: "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau", and blessed him.

Ribera's depiction includes all these ideas. The artist has chosen a horizontal format, painted in order to be seen from below. The figures each occupy a particular location which reinforces this horizontal feeling, and all are linked by their gestures, clothing and poses. Our eye moves from Esau, who can be seen through the window, to Rebecca pushing Jacob towards Isaac and the old man touching his son, creating a human chain connected via the biblical account.

The painting is very Venetian in its use of colour, although the approach to light still looks back to Ribera's earlier style. In addition the artist uses a typically Baroque visual device: Rebecca looks out at the spectator in order to involve us in the scene.

Of enormous merit is the beautiful still life on the right, a genre which Ribera probably never deployed separately, but which is here treated with remarkable skill.

The painting comes from the Spanish Royal Collection and was among those saved in the fire at the Alcázar in 1734. From there it went to the Palacio Nuevo until 1816 when it features in the collection of the San Fernando Royal Academy. It was subsequently incorporated into the collection of the Museo del Prado.

This work uses Ribera's frequent style of signature: Jusepe de Ribera español, and is dated 1637 at the lower right corner.