Issachar & Benjamin

Issachar and Benjamin form part of a series of thirteen portraits of Jacob and his sons, the forefathers of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The depiction of the former reflects on the description of him as a ‘strong ass’ who will be destined to work the land as the servant of others (Genesis 49:14–15). The simplicity of his garments differentiates him from his brothers, who are depicted in a more elaborate fashion. The only note of colour is the bundle on his back, which emphasizes the prospect of physical toil. His companion on the road is an ass or donkey, which serves both as a literal object and as a symbolic reference to his characterization as a beast of burden. Its naturally sorrowful look adds a note of pathos and compassion, while the arduous terrain in the background, consisting of rocky outcrops and uneven riverside paths, appears to pit the strength of Issachar against that of nature itself.

Benjamin, the youngest and most beloved son of Jacob, is portrayed as a youthful, clean-shaven figure in a pastoral landscape with architectural ruins in the background. With his body twisted as he looks over his right shoulder, he is seen as if walking away from the viewer, a pose that increases the vivacity of the image. His handsome dress is decorated with bows, and he sports a multicoloured outer garment, similar to the striped trousers in the painting of his brother Zebulun. The bag on his shoulder alludes to the tale of his brother, Joseph, who hid a silver cup in his sack, which he then used as a pretext for keeping him hostage in Egypt until his brothers returned with their father (Genesis 44:1–17). Benjamin is accompanied by a panting wolf on a chain, which, as is the case with Issachar’s donkey, serves both as a literal reference and as an allusion to the words of his father in characterizing him as ‘a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder’ (Genesis 49:27).

When the series of Zurbarán’s Jacob and his Twelve Sons came up for auction in 1756 Richard Trevor, the Prince Bishop of Durham, tasked his London agent with the responsibility acquiring the set. Unfortunately, he was outbid for Benjamin, which subsequently entered the collection of Grimsthorpe Castle near Peterborough. He therefore commissioned the British artist, Arthur Pond (1701–98), to produce a faithful copy, which cost almost as much as the most expensive of Zurbarán’s originals. It has been displayed alongside them ever since.