Laban Searching for his Idols 1667

Jan de Bray created "Laban Searching for his Idols" using pen and brown ink with gray wash on paper. De Bray lived during the Dutch Golden Age, a period of economic prosperity and cultural flourishing in the Netherlands, when Dutch artists produced a vast number of images for a broad audience. Here, De Bray illustrates a story from the Book of Genesis. Rachel, daughter of Laban, steals her father’s household idols when Jacob flees with his family. When Laban comes searching for his idols, Rachel hides them, and sits on them, claiming she cannot rise because she is menstruating. This is a deeply gendered scene, where deception and secrecy become a woman’s tool to both protect her new family and defy her father. De Bray captures the tension and discomfort of the scene, inviting us to consider the complex dynamics of family, belief, and the shifting roles of women.