Laban Searching for Family Idols among the Possessions of Joseph
Medium
Etching on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 24.5 × 33 cm (9 11/16 × 13 in.); Plate: 25 × 34 cm (9 7/8 × 13 7/16 in.); Sheet: 26 × 34.5 cm (10 1/4 × 13 5/8 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
26739
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Dating to around the time of Castiglione’s first trip to Rome, in 1630, this work is considered one of the artist’s earliest etchings. Depicted is a scene from the story of Jacob, in the book of Genesis. After fleeing Laban’s house in the middle of the night, Jacob and his wives, Rachel and Leah, are overtaken by Laban, who searches for the household idols stolen by Rachel in an attempt to protect Jacob from another twenty years of labor under her father’s rule. The image demonstrates Castiglion...
About the Artist
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione · 1609–1664
Versatile and eclectic artist open to foreign influence which was unusual for an Italian artist of his time. Some of his best-known works are somewhat fantastical. He was court painter at Mantua from 1648. Comment on works: Religious; Landscapes; Animals; Mythology.