1589
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Plate 9: Asher is a 1589 by Jacob de Gheyn II, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a man in old-fashioned clothes holding a basket of potatoes and a bundle of wheat. This is Asher, one of the twelve sons of Jacob from the Bible. Each son got a blessing and a symbol—Asher’s was food, because his land was supposed to be rich and fertile. The artist made a whole series of these prints, one for each brother. It’s like an old-timey family portrait, but with prophecies instead of baby photos. Look up the other prints in this series at The Cleveland Museum of Art.
In this print, the biblical figure Asher holds a basket of potatoes and sheaf of wheat, denoting the rich soil and abundant food produced by his tribe. 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 castle in the background of this image of Asher, son of Jacob, suggests that food he prepares will be served to kings, as prophesized by his father.
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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