Interpretation
As demonstrated in these two etchings, Claude often incorporated biblical and mythological stories within his pastoral landscapes. Although the first etching is traditionally called The Wooden Bridge, referencing the scene’s central motif, the adjacent figural group illustrates an episode in Genesis 24, in which Rebecca’s father, Bethuel, bids farewell as she departs with Abraham’s servant Eliezer for Canaan, where she will marry Abraham’s son, Isaac.
In the later etching, Claude succinctly evokes Ovid’s tale of Mercury, the winged messenger of the gods, and the many-eyed giant Argus—shown here in the company of a large cow and other animals. Argus had been placed in charge of guarding Io, one of Jupiter’s numerous lovers—whom Jupiter had turned into a cow to protect her from the wrath of his wife, Juno. Jupiter subsequently sent Mercury to steal Io, which he did by disguising himself as a shepherd and lulling Argus to sleep, then beheading him.
Information
- Title
- The Wooden Bridge (Rebecca Taking Leave of Her Father), ca. 1640–45 | Mercury and Argus, 1662
- Object Number
- 2019-459, 2019-461
- Maker
- Claude Lorrain
- Medium
- Etching
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Duane E. Wilder, Class of 1951
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