Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Jacob Blessing Manasses and Ephraim
(Medieval Europe )
This scene illustrates a passage from Genesis in which the blind Jacob deliberately rests his right hand (the hand of honor) on the head of Ephraim, the younger grandson, and his left hand on Manasses, the elder one. In so doing, Jacob, also called Israel, prophesies the greatness of Ephraim's descendants, interpreted by medieval theologians as the Christian faithful. The plaque was probably part of a "typological" cross--a cross that combines Old and New Testament scenes--in which the crossed arms of Jacob symbolically refer to the crucified Christ.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Pierre Leven, Cologne, by purchase; Sale, J. M. Heberle, Cologne, October 4, 1853, no. ???; Henry Walters, Baltimore, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1996-1997 | Russian Enamels. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1984 | The Taste of Maryland: Art Collecting in Maryland 1800-1934. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1963 | The Hebrew Bible in Christian, Jewish & Muslim Art. The Jewish Museum, New York. |
| 1959 | Enamels. Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 5/2/1984 | Examination | examined for exhibition |
Geographies
Belgium (Place of Origin)
Measurements
2 3/4 x 3 13/16 x 1/8 in. (7.1 x 9.7 x 0.3 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
44.97