Esau Meeting Jacob

Esau Meeting Jacob

George Frederick Watts

Wood engraving by the Dalziels [1863–5]; printed from the original block.

7½ x 6 inches

Dalziels’ Bible Gallery, plate 16.

Genesis, xxxiii: 4. The high rhetoric of Noah’s epic task is replaced in this image by a touching representation of a brother’s love. The drama is cleverly conveyed in the contrast between the siblings’ gestures, with Esau stepping forward to kiss his brother while Jacob, taken by surprise, seems to falter.

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Scanned image and text by Simon Cooke.

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