Isaac and Rebecca, Known as ‘The Jewish Bride’

oil on canvas, c. 1665–1669

To prevent being killed and having his wife captured by King Abimelech, Isaac concealed his love for Rebecca by pretending they were brother and sister. However, their intimacy betrayed them when they thought they were not being spied on. Rembrandt depicts them in a tender moment. Furthermore, he works with exceptional freedom, applies the paint thickly, and scratches into it with the butt end of his paintbrush.

Artwork typepainting
Object numberSK-C-216
Dimensionsheight 121.5 cm x width 166.5 cm
Physical characteristicsolieverf op doek

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Isaac and Rebecca, Known as ‘The Jewish Bride’

Identification

Title(s)
- Isaac and Rebecca, Known as ‘The Jewish Bride’
- Portrait of a Couple as Isaac and Rebecca, known as 'The Jewish Bride'
- Portrait of a couple as figures from the Old Testament, known as 'The Jewish bride'
Former title
Portrait of a couple as figures from the Old Testament, known as 'The Jewish bride'
Object type
Object number
SK-C-216
Inscriptions / marks
signature and date: ‘Rembrandt f. 16...’
Description
To prevent being killed and having his wife captured by King Abimelech, Isaac concealed his love for Rebecca by pretending they were brother and sister. However, their intimacy betrayed them when they thought they were not being spied on. Rembrandt depicts them in a tender moment. Furthermore, he works with exceptional freedom, applies the paint thickly, and scratches into it with the butt end of his paintbrush.
Catalogue reference
M.L. Wurfbein, 'De liefde een groot stuck', Leids jaarboekje (1971), p. 173-181.

Creation

Creation
painter: Rembrandt van Rijn
Dating
c. 1665 - c. 1669
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Material and technique

Physcial description
olieverf op doek
Material
Dimensions
height 121.5 cm x width 166.5 cm

This work is about

Subject

Acquisition and rights

Credit line
On loan from the City of Amsterdam (A. van der Hoop Bequest)
Ownership
Copyright
Public domain

Documentation

- M.L. Wurfbein, 'De liefde een groot stuck', Leids jaarboekje (1971), p. 173-181.
- R.H. Fuchs, 'Het zogenaamde 'Joodse bruidje' en het probleem van de 'voordracht' in Rembrandts werk', Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis (1969), p. 482-493.
- Marleen Dominicus-Van Soest, 'Rembrandt in nieuw licht', Rijksmuseum Kunstkrant 19 (1993) nr. 3, p. 3-7.
- The Rembrandt Database, Object information, Rembrandt, Portrait of a couple as Isaac and Rebecca, 1662-1666, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, inv. no. SK-C-216, http://www.rembrandtdatabase.org/Rembrandt/painting/3068/portrait-of-a-couple-as-isaac-and-rebecca, accessed 2016 May 04
- Feico Hoekstra 'Het 'ideale' paar van Rembrandt', Antiek 31 (1996) nr. 2, p. 59-65.
- Pieter de Dreu, 'Portret van een paar, genaamd 'Het Joodse Bruidje', Rijksmuseum Kunstkrant 16 (1989/1990) nr. 1, p. 2-3.
- Anke Teunis, 'Oud en nieuw', Rijksmuseum Kunstkrant (2002) nr. 4, p. 18-19.
- Christian Tümpel, 'Studien zur Ikonografie der Historien Rembrandts', in: Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek 20 (1969), p. 107-198.

Related objects

Persistent URL

To refer to this object, please use the following persistent URL:
https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200107934