Cleveland Museum of Art

Plate 6: Isaachar

Date

c. 1589

Medium

engraving

Culture

Netherlands

Department

Prints

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

In this print, the biblical figure Isaachar holds a rucksack while accompanied by a donkey, denoting his destiny to serve and perform hard labor. This is one of a series of prints depicting the twelve sons of Jacob, each with an attribute and costume that denotes his character. According to the Old Testament, Jacob blessed each of his twelve sons, prophesizing the destiny of their tribe, and assigning them a parcel of land in Canaan. The print series was made in the Netherlands in the late 16th century, a time of political struggle when Old Testament heroes were popular exemplars of fortitude and patience. The rucksack carried by this Old Testament figure suggests his perpetual travel while the donkey denotes his employment as a laborer.

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