Artwork
Jacob's Farewell to Benjamin
Jacob's Farewell to Benjamin is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Barent Fabritius. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The close physical proximity and subdued palette heighten the emotional gravity of the scene, inviting viewers to contemplate the fragility of earthly bonds.
The painting portrays the biblical patriarch Jacob embracing his young son Benjamin, a tender farewell that underscores themes of family duty and impending loss. Jacob’s gesture of blessing and the intimate exchange between the figures serve as visual symbols of paternal affection and the transmission of heritage. The close physical proximity and subdued palette heighten the emotional gravity of the scene, inviting viewers to contemplate the fragility of earthly bonds.
Executed in oil on canvas, the work measures 113 cm by 110.5 cm and is housed in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Technique & Style
Jacob's Farewell to Benjamin is an oil painting executed on canvas, a standard support for mid-seventeenth-century Dutch religious works. The composition measures 113 cm in height by 110.5 cm in width, giving it a nearly square format suited to the intimate, multi-figure biblical scene it depicts.
The work is classified as a religious painting, and its technique aligns with the oil-painting tradition associated with Barent Fabritius, a follower of Rembrandt van Rijn. The medium of oil paint on canvas allows for the layered handling and tonal modeling characteristic of Rembrandt's circle, supporting the depiction of figures including Jacob, Benjamin, a man, and a child within a devotional narrative.
The painting is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
History & Provenance
Jacob's Farewell to Benjamin is an oil painting on canvas created in 1650 by Barent Fabritius. The work measures 113 centimeters in height and 110.5 centimeters in width. It portrays a man with a child, identified as Jacob and Benjamin, and falls within the religious art genre.
The painting has been part of the Art Institute of Chicago's collection since its acquisition, remaining on display there.
The painting Jacob's Farewell to Benjamin by Barent Fabritius is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Created in 1650, the work is executed in oil on canvas and measures 113 cm in height by 110.5 cm in width. While the artwork is identified within the museum's holdings, the provided records do not list a specific accession number or detail any past or current exhibition history for this piece.
Context
Barent Fabritius painted Jacob's Farewell to Benjamin in 1650, depicting a biblical farewell between Jacob and Benjamin, and the work is classified as a religious painting. It measures 113 by 110.5 centimeters and is held by the Art Institute of Chicago, where it is recognized as a religious work by a follower of Rembrandt van Rijn. Scholarship situates the painting within the Dutch Golden Age context of biblical scene rendering, reflecting the era's religious themes and artistic conventions.
Overview
Created around 1650 by Dutch painter Barent Fabritius, Jacob’s Farewell to Benjamin is an oil on canvas that belongs to the mid‑seventeenth‑century Dutch Golden Age. The work is part of the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago and illustrates a quiet biblical episode in a modest interior setting.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Barent or Bernard Pietersz Fabritius (or Fabricius) (bapt. 16 November 1624 – bur. 20 October 1673), was a Dutch painter. Fabritius was born at Middenbeemster, North Holland, the son of Pieter Carelsz. Fabritius. He…
