Jacob Blessing Sons of Joseph. Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph is a 1656 oil painting by Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn.
It is said to have almost a sculptural surface with a translucent glaze over paint. This piece is housed in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Kassel, Germany.
Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph shows a scene from the Old Testament book of Genesis, Chapter 48. In this scene, Joseph brings his two sons to his dying father Jacob so that they can receive the family blessing. According to tradition, the eldest son is blessed with the patriarch's right hand.
However, Jacob deliberately crossed his arms and put his right hand on Ephraim's head and his left hand on Manasseh's head. Joseph was displeased and thought that his father was making a mistake.
When Joseph tried to correct his father, Jacob refused and told Joseph that he was purposefully blessing the younger son. This painting only shows the blessing of Ephraim. The arms aren't crossed and Manasseh isn't being blessed simultaneously, as the text implies. In addition, Rembrandt omits the argument between Joseph and Jacob. In fact, the tenderness and warmth of the familial interaction seems to suggest that the blessing of the younger son was the original intention. Lastly, Rembrandt included the mother of the children, Asenath. Asenath was the daughter of an Egyptian priest. According to chapter 41 in the book of Genesis, she was given t