Artwork
Jael and Sisera
Jael and Sisera is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Jacob Matham. It dates from 1588 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Jacob Matham’s 1588 engraving, titled Jael and Sisera, presents a narrative scene on laid paper. The composition centers on a winged female figure wielding a hammer, positioned above a prone male figure draped in a tent‑like covering. A distant landscape with trees and a small town unfolds behind them, while clouds are rendered with meticulous line work.
Subject & Meaning
The image illustrates the biblical episode in which Jael, a heroine of the Book of Judges, kills the Canaanite commander Sisyras. By portraying Jael with wings and a hammer, the print emphasizes her decisive, almost divine intervention, while the sleeping figure’s vulnerability underscores the moment of betrayal and deliverance central to the story.
Technique & Style
Matham employed fine, cross‑hatching and delicate shading on a copper plate to achieve depth and texture, characteristic of late‑sixteenth‑century Dutch engraving. The use of laid paper enhances the tonal range, allowing subtle gradations in the clouds and the folds of the woman’s flowing robes, while the precise linear rendering defines the distant architecture.
History & Provenance
Created in 1588, the print belongs to Matham’s early output after his apprenticeship with Hendrick Goltzius. It circulated among collectors of religious prints in the Dutch Republic, and surviving copies are held in several European museum collections, reflecting its continued scholarly interest as an example of biblical illustration in the period.
Artist & collection
