All Objects

Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might and the first fruits of my vigor,
excelling in rank and excelling in power.

Unstable as water, you shall no longer excel
because you went up onto your father’s bed;
then you defiled it — you went up onto my couch!

“The Blessings of Jacob” (Genesis 49:3–4)

Reuben is Jacob’s eldest son and his first child with Leah. The blessing refers to this firstborn status but also condemns Reuben for betraying his father in an earlier incident, when, as related in Genesis 35, Reuben slept with Jacob’s concubine Bilhah. Zurbarán’s depiction of Reuben reflects these conflicting circumstances. The column, a traditional symbol of fortitude, on which Reuben rests his hand, as well as his frontal stance, suggests his strength and rank in the family. His downcast eyes, however, allude to his reprehensible actions, which would deprive him and his tribe of the preeminent position they would have attained. The primary visual source for Reuben has been identified as the standing figure of Pontius Pilate dressed in a turban and robe from Albrecht Dürer’s woodcut The Flagellation from the Small Passion series, a source perhaps for the column as well.

Simeon and Levi are brothers;
weapons of violence are their swords.

May I never come into their council;
may I not be joined to their company —
for in their anger they killed men,
and at their whim they hamstrung oxen.

Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce,
and their wrath, for it is cruel!
I will divide them in Jacob,
and scatter them in Israel.

“The Blessings of Jacob” (Genesis 49:5–7)

Levi and Simeon share a blessing — or curse — that refers to their excessive violence in response to the rape of their sister, Dinah. Jacob condemns both brothers; nonetheless, Levi’s descendants were chosen to serve as the nomadic priests of Israel. In Zurbarán’s painting, Levi holds the chains of an incense burner, a typical attribute of Jewish priests, its pyramidal shape echoing the form of the figure. Levi is shown in fanciful garb derived from a Mesopotamian figure in Philips Galle’s print The Story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, after Maarten van Heemskerck. This figure also inspires the pose of Levi, who is portrayed from behind. X-rays taken during a recent technical analysis reveal the head of a woman underneath Levi’s feet, indicating that the canvas was recycled and turned upside down for reuse. The temple featured in the landscape is an addition Zurbarán made late in the painting process, as evidenced by infrared reflectography.

Zebulun shall settle at the shore of the sea;
he shall be a haven for ships,
and his border shall be at Sidon.

“The Blessings of Jacob” (Genesis 49:13)

Zebulun, the sixth son of Leah and the tenth son of Jacob, is shown near water, holding an anchor. The imagery is closely connected to the blessing. Later in the biblical narrative, when Jacob’s sons and their tribes are granted territory in the kingdom of Israel, Zebulun is given land just east of the sea. Jacob’s blessing could, therefore, allude to Zebulun’s future tribal allotment. Zurbarán borrowed aspects of the composition — including the facial type, anchor, and viewpoint — from Jacques de Gheyn II’s Zebulun in his print series The Twelve Sons of Jacob, while depicting Zebulun as a younger man. Zurbarán originally painted him as a gaunter figure, as evidenced by technical imaging. The striped fabric of Zebulun’s jaunty cropped pants has been connected with textiles from the Americas.

Dan shall judge his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.

Dan shall be a snake by the roadside,
a viper along the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider falls backward.

I wait for your salvation, O Lord.

“The Blessings of Jacob” (Genesis 49:16–18)

Dan’s name, which is derived from the Hebrew word meaning “to judge or vindicate,” is directly connected with the role Jacob assigns him in his blessing. The first son of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid, and Jacob, Dan is depicted in an ornate golden robe that indicates his stature. With one hand, he appears to gesture to someone outside the frame, while with the other, he holds a snake-entwined rod resembling the staff of Asclepius, an ancient symbol associated with medicine and healing. Here, the attribute has been interpreted as recalling Jacob’s description of Dan as a judge of his people and a “viper along the path, that bites the horse’s heels,” thus defeating his more powerful enemies. It has also been seen as a reference to the Old Testament passage in which Moses fashions a bronze serpent to protect the Israelites from a plague of poisonous snakes. The pose and gesture of Dan are lifted almost directly from a figure in Jonadab Counseling Amnon, a print by Philips Galle after Maarten van Heemskerck.

The elaborate pattern of Dan’s brocade robe is the same as that of Judah’s, although different in color. Such opulent fabrics have been identified as having been used for furnishings but not for clothing. The son of a haberdasher, Zurbarán was familiar with a variety of textiles at an early age, and his meticulously rendered fabrics, painted from life, play a significant role in his presentation of the sumptuously attired tribes of Israel, both denoting status and adding visual interest and decorative appeal.

Asher’s food shall be rich,
and he shall provide royal delicacies.

“The Blessings of Jacob” (Genesis 49:20)

Attired in the finest regalia, the prosperous farmer Asher was the son of Jacob and Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid. In Zurbarán’s painting, the overflowing basket of bread in Asher’s hands refers to the “royal delicacies” in the blessing and showcases the artist’s extraordinary skill in the genre of still life. Asher’s association with bread in biblical literature led the sixth-century Spanish theologian Isidore of Seville to interpret him as a prefiguration of Christ, who in the Eucharist becomes bread for the faithful. Asher’s staff bisects the canvas, introducing a dynamic element into an otherwise static composition. Recent technical analysis revealed that the landscape in Asher — as well as that in Issachar, both of which are of particularly high quality — was most likely painted by Zurbarán himself as a model for his assistants to follow in the other works in the series.

Joseph is a fruitful bough,
a fruitful bough by a spring;
his branches run over the wall.

The archers fiercely attacked him;
they shot at him and pressed him hard.

Yet his bow remained taut,
and his arms were made agile
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

by the God of your father, who will help you,
by the Almighty who will bless you
with blessings of heaven above,
blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

The blessings of your father
are stronger than the blessings of the eternal mountains,
the bounties of the everlasting hills;
may they be on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.

“The Blessings of Jacob” (Genesis 49:22–26)

Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob and the first son of his beloved second wife, Rachel. His narrative in the Old Testament is extensive. As a favorite of his father, Joseph aroused the jealousy of his brothers, who convinced Jacob that he was dead and then sold him into slavery. Joseph was taken to Egypt, where he rose to prominence in the court of the pharaoh for his ability to interpret dreams. Zurbarán’s depiction of Joseph in regal attire with a rod and document in his hand underlines his position as a great administrator in the Egyptian court. Joseph’s assertive pose, direct gaze, and opulent dress and headgear reflect his preeminence among the twelve sons. Details of his costume are taken from Joseph in Jacques de Gheyn II’s print series The Twelve Sons of Jacob.