1589
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Plate 12: Benjamin is a 1589 by Jacob de Gheyn II, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a man holding a wolf on a chain while a fight happens behind him. This is Benjamin, one of Jacob’s twelve sons from the Bible. Each son got a print like this—one for every tribe of Israel. The wolf stands for Benjamin’s fierce side, part of a prophecy about his future. The artist made these in the Netherlands when prints were still new and exciting. Look up *chiaroscuro* to see how light and shadow make these figures pop.
In this print, the biblical figure Benjamin holds a wolf by a chain while an act of violence takes place behind him, denoting his ferocity 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…
The appearance of a wolf in this print illustrates the Old Testament prophesy of Jacob, that “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he devours the prey, And in the evening he divides the spoil (Genesis 49:28).
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.
See the richer artist page
