Esau and Jacob

Matthias Stom executed the oil painting Esau and Jacob in 1640. The work was created in the Netherlands during the artist's active period there. Following its completion, the canvas eventually entered the collection of Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky.

It was subsequently acquired by the Hermitage Museum, where it remains part of the institution's holdings. The painting has been featured in exhibitions focusing on Dutch masters drawn from the Hermitage's collection.

The painting Esau and Jacob by Matthias Stom is held at the Hermitage Museum, where it is recorded under the collection of Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky. Its dimensions are 118 cm in height and 164 cm in width, and it was created in the Netherlands in 1640. The work has been featured in the exhibition Dutch Masters from the Hermitage, highlighting its significance within the museum's holdings of religious art.

Later scholarship emphasizes the painting's role in shaping baroque religious imagery, particularly its dramatic chiaroscuro and narrative intensity that influenced Dutch masters in the Hermitage collection. The work remains part of the Hermitage Museum's permanent display, cited in exhibitions of Dutch masters from the Hermitage and studied for its impact on 17th-century religious painting.

Created in 1640 by the Dutch‑Flemish painter Matthias Stom, this oil on canvas portrays a biblical episode involving Esau and Jacob. Executed during the artist’s Italian period, the work is part of the State Hermitage Museum’s collection. The composition centers on three figures illuminated against a dark interior, their faces catching the light in a dramatic fashion.

Stom’s preference for biblical narratives aligns him with contemporaries who favored religious subjects over genre or allegorical scenes. His work reflects the broader 17th‑century trend of dramatizing sacred stories through realistic detail and emotional intensity, a response to Counter‑Reformation demands for clear, affective visual storytelling.