Jacob’s Dream

ca. 1665
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

In the Bible, the story of Jacob (who appears in the Quran as Ya’qub, one of the great prophets) comprises numerous episodes. The story of his dream illustrates the relationship between the celestial and terrestrial worlds, as Jacob saw a ladder stretching up to heaven and God at the top of it promising him the land he was lying on. The ladder with angels ascending and descending is depicted in a dream-like glow. The divine light pierces the darkness in a Baroque effect characteristic of the Spanish Golden Age of painting, to which Murillo (1617–1682) belonged.