Artwork
Jacob en el pozo
Jacob en el pozo is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Pedro Orrente. It dates from 1601 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Overview
Pedro Orrente’s 1601 oil painting *Jacob en el pozo* presents a biblical episode in a landscape populated by figures, livestock, and a horse. Executed in the early Baroque period, the work exemplifies the naturalistic tendencies that marked Orrente’s early output. The composition is held by the Museo del Prado in Madrid.
Subject & Meaning
The scene illustrates Jacob’s encounter at a well, a narrative drawn from Genesis. Three men are gathered around a stone basin, one gesturing outward, another clutching a red object, while a third observes. A shepherd with a staff and a flock of sheep appear in the distance, reinforcing the pastoral context of the biblical story.
Technique & Style
Orrente employs chiaroscuro, with illumination arriving from the left, to model forms and generate spatial depth. The rendering of textures—stone, fabric, animal fur—is detailed, and the figures’ expressions convey a naturalistic realism characteristic of early Baroque Spanish painting.
History & Provenance
Created in 1601, the canvas entered the collection of the Museo del Prado, where it remains on display. Its attribution to Orrente aligns with his documented activity in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, a period when he absorbed Italian Baroque influences while maintaining a distinct Spanish sensibility.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Pedro de Orrente (April 1580 – 19 January 1645) was a Spanish painter of the early Baroque period. He became one of the first artists in that part of Spain to paint in a Naturalistic style.
Jacob en el pozo
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The Meeting of Jacob and Rachel
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The meeting of Jacob and Rachel
La vuelta al aprisco