Artwork Page for Plate 5: Zabulun

Details / Information for Plate 5: Zabulun

Series Title: The Twelve Sons of Jacob

Plate 5: Zabulun

c. 1589

Jacob de Gheyn II

(Netherlandish, 1565–1629)
author

after Karel I van Mander

(Netherlandish, 1548–1606)
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Culture
Netherlands
Medium
engraving
Measurements
Platemark: 16 x 11 cm (6 5/16 x 4 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Carole W. and Charles B. Rosenblatt Endowment Fund 2024.145.4
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

References to seafaring including a fishing line, anchor, and navigational device, suggest that this Old Testament figure prospers from the merchant trades.

Description

n this print, the biblical figure Zabulun is shown holding an anchor and fishing line before a harbor, denoting his tribe’s domicile near the sea. This is one of a series of prints depicting the twelve sons of Jacob, each with an attribute and costume that denotes his character. According to the Old Testament, Jacob blessed each of his twelve sons, prophesizing the destiny of their tribe, and assigning them a parcel of land in Canaan. The print series was made in the Netherlands in the late 16th century, a time of political struggle when Old Testament heroes were popular exemplars of fortitude and patience.
A vertically oriented engraving in black ink depicts Zabulun, an older man with light skin tone and a full beard, facing our right in profile. He wears a tall, textured hat and hooded cloak. His right hand rests on a circular container; his left holds a weighted line. An anchor sits on a foreground ledge. Behind him, a coastal city with a smoking tower and ships appears. Latin text is inscribed below.

Plate 5: Zabulun

c. 1589

Jacob de Gheyn II, Karel I van Mander

(Netherlandish, 1565–1629), (Netherlandish, 1548–1606)
Netherlands

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