CORNEILLE, Michel I
(b. ca. 1601, Orléans, d. 1664, Paris)

Esau and Jacob

1630
Oil on canvas, 115 x 126 cm
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Orléans

During the reign of Louis XIII, fashion, especially male dresses, played a very important role. This is reflected in both contemporary paintings and engravings. In Corneille's Biblical scene the hunter Esau is addressing clever Jacob in a contemporary bourgeois home. It can be considered a costume study which underscores Esau's elegant garb in the twin light coming from the open door and the glowing fire in the monumental fireplace.