Isaac Blessing Jacob

painting by Flinck

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July 21, 2026

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The painting Isaac Blessing Jacob was created by the Dutch Baroque painter Govert Flinck in 1638. Flinck was a follower of Rembrandt and initially modeled his style closely after him.1

The biblical story depicted in the painting concerns Jacob, the grandson of Abraham and son of Isaac and Rebekah. Jacob, through a ruse involving his mother's help, received the blessing intended for his elder twin brother, Esau, from their blind father, Isaac. This act is a significant event in the narrative of the Hebrew patriarchs, highlighting themes of divine will and the subversion of traditional primogeniture.2

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Govert Flinck
…as, for example, in his Isaac Blessing Jacob (1638). Later he developed a more florid and oratorical manner, in which he appears to have been influenced by Peter Paul Rubens, as in the Allegory in Memory of Prince Frederick Henry (1654). Flinck’s most successful works were portraits, and he was…
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…as, for example, in his Isaac Blessing Jacob (1638). Later he developed a more florid and oratorical manner, in which he appears to have been influenced by Peter Paul Rubens, as in the Allegory in Memory of Prince Frederick Henry (1654). Flinck’s most successful works were portraits, and he was…
Read More