Jacob meets Esau

From the Story of Jacob series Workshop of Jan van Tighem (worked 1535-1573) Southern Netherlands, Brussels, 1560s. Wool, silk; tapestry weaving. 254 × 345 cm. Inventory II.2.e. 4

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You have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.Genesis 32:28

The composition of the tapestry is based on chapters 32 and 33 of the Book of Genesis, describing the meeting between Jacob and Esau on the latter's return from his kinsman Laban's home in Mesopotamia and the events that preceded it. Jacob fears meeting with his brother, doubtless remembering how he had fraudulently obtained his birthright, so he takes precautions. At the same time, he receives from the Lord another proof of him being the chosen one.

The six tapestries from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York represent a small part of the cycle dedicated to the story of Jacob. Judging by the density of the Book of Genesis text, the cycle consisted of at least half a dozen tapestries. The tapestries from the Art Institute of Chicago, the private collection in Munich and the Pushkin Museum go back to the same examples but are adapted to a different format and provide an example of a slightly different compositional treatment while retaining the iconographic imagery.

Esau Sells His Birthright

Jacob's blessing

Consequence of the Blessing of Jacob

Jacob meets Rachel

Mandrake Dispute

Theft of Laban's idols

Sacrifice of Jacob and Laban

Meeting of Esau and Jacob

Jacob burying idols under an oak tree

Biblical subjects were extremely popular in the art of tapestry weaving of the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries. The monumental presence and poetic exaggeration of woven cycles, designed for a mass audience, gave them considerable advantages over traditional frescoes and paintings on boards. The composition and the clear alignment of complex multi-figured images were clearly designed for detailed study and the subject for equally detailed "reading".

Research

Technical and technological research is nesessary before conservation. During microscopic examinations, we examine the parameters of the sampled threads, their nature and state of preservation. High-performance liquid chromatography and molecular spectroscopy are used to determine the nature of the dyes used in the dyeing of the fibres and threads. The results are taken into account in the designing the conservation programme.

Examination results

Birds and plants

The tradition of depicting plants and animals with symbolic meaning dates back to Antiquity. In the late Middle Ages, plants on tapestries were created with amazing botanical precision. And if initially, they served only for decoration, in the 16th -18th centuries they became a treasure trove of symbols, especially in religious scenes. The grassy carpet at the feet of the saints is truly a botanical reference book. The borders of the tapestries, which are usually treated as a secondary ornamental frame of the main image, conceal many symbols and allegories in both plant and animal imagery. Weavers skillfully wove fruits, leaves and stylized images of birds into flower garlands. Moreover, tapestries feature not only local animal and plant species, but also exotic ones brought from faraway countries and grown with love ad care in the gardens and parks of Europe.

Time and fashion

Both in paintings and in the art of tapestry weaving, the clothing of the characters depicted on the tapestry corresponded to the fashion of the time when the artwork was created. Although many costume details are not free from conventional artistry, studying the details, images and symbols in the clothes depicted on the 16th-century tapestries is fascinating.