1589
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Plate 10: Naphtali is a 1589 by Jacob de Gheyn II, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a man with long hair counting on his fingers beside a stag. This print is one of twelve showing Jacob’s sons from the Bible. Each son gets an animal or pose to show their future tribe. Naphtali’s stag means speed in battle—his blessing from Jacob. The series was made in the Netherlands when the country was fighting for independence, so these strong, chosen sons might have felt like heroes to viewers. Look up more prints from *subject: netherlands* to see how artists turned Bible stories into local pride.
In this print, biblical figure Naphtali counts with his fingers next to a stag, denoting his swiftness in battle. 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 mountain face depicted in the background of this image may refer to the tribal lands in Northern Israel granted to Naphtali by his father, Jacob, which included a mountain pass.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Jacob de Gheyn II was a Dutch painter and engraver, whose work shows the transition from Northern Mannerism to Dutch realism over the course of his career.
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