The etching Rebecca and Eliezer taking leave of her father, Bethuel, set in a landscape, a large tree to the left is a masterful print by the influential French Baroque artist Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée). Executed between 1635 and 1645, this work showcases Lorrain’s exceptional skill in rendering light and atmosphere through the delicate lines of the etching medium, a practice he often used to translate his renowned landscape compositions.
The scene depicts the emotionally charged moment from the Book of Genesis when Rebecca departs her family home to journey toward Isaac. While the central Human Figures engage in their farewell, they are deliberately minimized against the vastness of the surrounding Landscape. This compositional strategy, characteristic of Lorrain’s heroic landscape style, underscores the timeless dignity of the classical world. A large, structurally important Tree dominates the left side of the composition, balancing the receding distance.
Lorrain’s development of the background detail is crucial; soft shading defines the rolling hills and a meticulously detailed Bridge spans a waterway, subtly leading the eye deeper into the space. This interplay between classical narrative and idealized setting cemented Lorrain’s reputation as the foremost landscape artist of 17th-century Rome. This significant print is currently held in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, providing crucial insight into the graphic output of the master artist. The inclusion of these detailed Landscapes and figure groups makes this etching a valuable study in the history of prints.
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