Laban Searching for his Idols

This small, signed and dated sketch by Jan de Bray depicts a scene from chapter 31 of Genesis. Rachel sits on the ground, concealing the idols she, unbeknownst to her husband, Jacob, stole from the home of her father, Laban, who has come to confront the couple. De Bray conveys the intensity of their verbal exchange through gesture and body language. Laban stands upright and points an accusatory finger. Jacob grabs his father-in-law's wrist, the forward motion of his body and his outstretched arms conveying the earnestness and anger with which he defends his family, while Rachel nonchalantly extends an open palm and makes her false excuse for being unable to stand. Servants and children watch intently as the conflict unfolds. The drawing is a quick sketchprobably made in preparation for a painting.

De Bray may have known Pieter Lastman’s 1622 painting of the subject (Musée Boulogne-sur-Mer), with which the present drawing shares certain elements, in particular the portrayal of Laban. De Bray, however, reduced the number of subsidiary figures, which in combination with the more dynamic gestures makes for greater narrative clarity. He also costumed Rachel in a more refined gown, in keeping with later seventeenth-century taste. Although no painting of this subject by his hand is known, he presumably made the sketch with a projected picture in mind.

(JSS, 8/24/2018)