Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well

Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well

Artist	Carlo Maratta
Year	1655-57
Type	Oil painting on canvas
Dimensions	120 cm × 160 cm (47 in × 62 in)
Location	Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis

Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well is an oil painting by Italian artist Carlo Maratta, located in the Indianapolis Museum of Art, which is in Indianapolis, Indiana. It shows the story of Abraham's servant Eliezer giving Rebecca jewels to seal her betrothal to Isaac, after she had demonstrated the kindness foreseen by Abraham in offering water to Eliezer's camels (Gen. 24:11-20).^[1]

Description

Maratta reduces the story to its most essential elements, limiting the number of participants in the narrative to the bare minimum for maximum clarity, in accordance with classical traditions.^[2] Thus, rather than the usual beauty pageant portrayed by artists depicting this biblical scene, Maratta shows only Eliezer, Rebecca, and one other woman against whom the viewer may contrast Rebecca's beauty and virtue. Maratta also reduces the figures to half-length, the better to focus on their dramatic facial expressions.

The image is full of visual cues that make it clear this is an Old Testament prefiguration of Mary's selection. The pearl Rebecca selects stands for Mary's value and purity. The vases she and the other woman hold are symbols of Mary's role as a holy vessel.^[1] Since the vases are unbroken, they also stand for her virginity. Maratta was famed for his paintings of Mary, and he gave Rebecca the same serenity and languid, classical beauty as the Virgin Mother.^[3]

Acquisition

The IMA acquired this work in 1988, with the help of the Alicia Ballard Fine Arts Purchase Fund. It currently hangs in the Jane H. Fortune Gallery and has the accession number 1988.70.^[2]

References

1 2 Lee, Ellen Wardwell; Robinson, Anne (2005). Indianapolis Museum of Art: Highlights of the Collection. Indianapolis: Indianapolis Museum of Art. ISBN 0936260777.
1 2 "Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well". Indianapolis Museum of Art. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
↑ "Bible Paintings: Rebecca, Isaac, and Jacob". Women in the Bible. Retrieved 4 February 2013.

External links

IMA page.

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Artworks in the Collection of the Indianapolis Museum of Art

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Contemporary Art	Acton Courre Merlan (Whiting Chase) Egyptian Barnyard LOVE (painting) LOVE (sculpture) The Quintet of the Silent They Waz Nice White Folks While They Lasted (Sez One Gal to Another) Untitled Untitled Untitled

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European Painting and Sculpture to 1945	Aristotle Battle Between Carnival and Lent Breton Women at a Wall Broek in Waterland Charing Cross Bridge Crucifix Crucifixion Enclosed Field with Peasant Entry of Christ into Jerusalem Entry of Christ into Jerusalem House in Provence Landscape near Arles Ma Jolie Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist and St. Mary Magdalene Man and Woman Peasant with a Wheelbarrow Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well Roman Capriccio: The Pantheon and Other Monuments Self-Portrait Still Life with a Chinese Porcelain Jar Still Life with Profile of Laval The Banks of the Oise near Pontoise The Boy The Channel of Gravelines, Petit Fort Philippe The Country Dance The Crucifixion The Fifth Plague of Egypt The Flageolet Player on the Cliff The Flight into Egypt The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist The House of the Deaf Woman and the Belfry at Eragny The Negress The Seamstress The Triumphant Entry of Constantine into Rome The Two Sisters The Valkhof at Nijmegen Triptych of the Annunciation Vorhor, the Green Wave

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Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well

Description

Acquisition

See also

References

External links