A BRUSSELS BIBLICAL TAPESTRY

LATE 16TH CENTURY

Details
A BRUSSELS BIBLICAL TAPESTRY
Late 16th Century
Woven in wools and silks, depicting Jacob holding an axe greeting Rachel holding a bouquet in her left hand, with sheep and a shepherd in the background, with a further figure wearing a hat in the left background, to the left with a tree with vines and in the background with a town on a hill, within a foliate and fruiting border with guilloche-band and with blue outer slip, the top cut and reattached and with left upper corner later, restorations and upper blue outer slip later, distressed
137½ in. x 106 in. (350 cm. x 270 cm.)

Lot Essay

This scene is taken from the Old Testament and depicts the story of Jacob and Rachel. Laban's daughter Rachel came to water his sheep near Harran, where she met Jacob. He moved a stone from the mouth of the well and watered the sheep. Then 'he kissed Rachel, and was moved to tears'. Jacob became Laban's herdsman for seven years in return for Rachel, whom he wished to marry. When the seven years were up, Laban secretly substituted Leah, his ugly daughter, for Rachel and demanded another seven years labour from Jacob to obtain Rachel's hand. Jacob, however, secretly left with both daughters after having tricked Laban out of a large number of the sheep. When Laban caught up with them on their flight they were finally reconciled.

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