Jacques JordaensFlemish, 1593–1678Jacob and Esau
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Jacob and Esau” now? Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Chicago, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
This energetic drawing represents the moment when Jacob compels his older twin brother, Esau, to exchange his birthright for a bowl of stew. The brothers are surrounded by their mother, two maidservants, and two dogs. Jacob Jordaens set this Old Testament narrative in a domestic setting and filled it to the point of bursting. Indeed, the composition outgrew the original boundaries of the drawing support, prompting Jordaens to extend it by adding strips of paper to all four sides in order to complete his work.
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
Details
- Accession number
- 2014.1
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — CC0
In the life of Jacques Jordaens
The whole life1621–1667
His workshop: fifteen pupils in the guild records
Between 1621 and 1667 the guild registered fifteen pupils with Jordaens (the best known being Jan Boeckhorst), and six more are named in court documents; his son Jacob and his cousin Arnoldus also trained with him. His fame drew foreigners: after 1642 the Polish painter Aleksander Jan Tricius became his pupil, and in 1645 Queen Christina of Sweden meant to send her protégé Georg Waldau, but the threat of war in Flanders prevented it.
1651–1658
Fined for “heretical” writings
The schout (chief law officer) of Antwerp fined Jordaens 200 pounds and 15 shillings for his “scandalous”, that is heretical, writings (other accounts give 1651–1659 and speak of “heretical” works). As a famous master he was tolerated as long as he did not speak openly on matters of faith.
1652–1678
Late years: a grey-blue palette
In the final years of his career his creative powers declined: he abandoned vibrant colours for a grey-blue palette with dull brown accents and applied paint so thinly that the canvas showed through. The exceptions were the religious paintings made after his conversion to Protestantism and the Cupid and Psyche series for his own house.
