Plaque with the Dream of Jacob

Description The Old Testament patriarch Jacob was sleeping outdoors (Genesis 27) and dreamed that he saw a golden ladder reaching to heaven upon which angels ascended and descended, foretelling the greatness of his descendants. The composition is based on an engraving of 1582-83 after a drawing by Martin de Vos (1532-1603), the most influential Antwerp painter and designer for prints of his time. The blue, star-studded sky establishes a nighttime setting. The combination of semi-opaque and translucent enamels-in particular the patches of clear red-creates a brilliant coloristic effect that draws attention to the surface. The format conforms to the earlier "Plaque with Christ Carrying the Cross", but the technique is closer to that of Suzanne de Court's "Plaque with the Annunciation" of ca. 1600.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
5/20/1965	Treatment	loss compensation
10/08/1987	Treatment	cleaned; loss compensation

Exhibitions

• The Allure of Bronze. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1995.

Provenance Henri Daguerre, Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1928, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, 1928