1720
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Jacob's Dream is a 1720 by Joseph Goupy, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a dark sky split by a glowing ladder—angels climb up and down while Jacob sleeps on the ground. This painting is a copy of an older work by Salvator Rosa. In the 1700s, artists often remade famous paintings to learn from them or to share them with new audiences. Goupy used soft, glowing colors that make the scene feel dreamy, not sharp. Look up the subject of *england, 18th century* to see how artists like Goupy brought Italian styles to Britain.
Joseph Goupy played a significant role in cultivating a taste for Italian art in 18th-century Britain. Here, Goupy copied an oil painting by Salvator Rosa now in the Devonshire Collection at Chatsworth. Copying from Old Masters was a venerated practice in the 18th century. In addition to being an essential aspect of artistic training, the circulation of great works of art served to educate connoisseurs and to shape public opinion. Goupy’s luminous gouaches were highly prized, fetching prices considerably higher than original portraits of the period.
This drawing was formerly attributed to the Venetian landscape painter Marco Ricci (1676-1730), who worked periodically in England during the early 18th century.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Joseph Goupy was an English engraver, painter, set designer and watercolourist. He was of French descent living and working in London from at least 1711.
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