Isaac Blessing Jacob

Govert Flinck (1615–1660), oil on canvas, c. 1638

The Bible recounts how Jacob, pretending to be his brother Esau, tricked their blind father into bestowing Esau’s rightful blessing on him. The idea of imitating Esau’s hirsute arms by wearing animal-skin gloves came from their mother Rebecca, who looks on from behind the bed. Flinck derived both this painting technique and narrative style from Rembrandt, by whom he was trained.

  • Artwork typepainting
  • Object numberSK-A-110
  • Dimensionsheight 115.2 cm x width 140.2 cm, height 141 cm x width 165.5 cm x depth 10 cm