The Meeting Of Joseph And Jacob - Gaspar Van Der Lanen (1592 - After 1624)

The Meeting of Joseph and Jacob in Egypt. Gaspar van der Lanen (1592 - after 1624). Oil on copper.
Our painting relates the episode from the Old Testament (Genesis 46, 29-30) which evokes the reunion of Joseph and his father Jacob in Egypt. Surrounded by a series of characters and soldiers, the father with the beard and white hair embraces the beloved son at the center of the composition. In this first half of the 17th century, the narrative subjects taken from the Holy Scriptures met with great success with the painters of the city of Antwerp and many of them used the same models, personalizing the decor to put their mark on them. Our table is a perfect example. Here, the order of the foliage is more open than in the painting by Frans II Francken kept in Saint Petersburg to allow better circulation of light. The ground in the foreground is strewn with flowers while it is arid in other compositions. Finally, the line of protagonists who make up the convoy stretching out into the valley on the right and the city that looms in the distance on the left are very different. This is one of van der Lanen's richest works, his partially preserved signature “… ANEN” is readable at the bottom center under a group of pebbles.

Gaspar (or Jasper) van der Lanen (Antwerp 1592 - id. After 1624) is an Antwerp painter who distinguished himself in historical and landscape painting, he is also known for his cabinet paintings. His biography is unfortunately poorly documented and we know that he was enrolled in the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp in 1607 and that he was received as a master in 1615. He married Elisabeth Rombouts in 1624 and Abraham Govaerts was his witness. In the breeding ground of Antwerp artists, he meets and sometimes collaborates with Hans Jordaens III, Frans II Francken or Abraham Govaerts.

The cycle of Joseph is a story written to highlight the Jewish identity of the diaspora in Egypt and its integration into the Egyptian diaspora, Joseph representing a model of social ascension in this host country until leaving the mark of his wisdom. in administration. According to the biblical account, Joseph is the favorite son of Jacob, his father. This one probably carries over the love he had for his favorite wife Rachel, who died at the birth of Benjamin. This father's preference leads to the jealousy of Joseph's half-brothers who instigate a plot. One day when Joseph joined his brothers who had left to graze the flocks, the latter skinned him, threw him into a well and then sold him to merchants who brought him to Egypt. Believing in his death, Jacob is inconsolable. After a period of slavery, Joseph joined the Egyptian administration becoming rich and powerful. Famine falls on the region where Jacob's family lives, who orders their sons to go to Egypt to stock up. After a few twists and turns, Joseph forgives his brothers and invites his family to come and settle in Egypt. Jacob is overwhelmed by this happy reunion.