De zonen van Jacob moeten Simeon in Egypte achterlaten tot ze terugkomen met Benjamin 1742 - 1801

This print by Georg Balthasar Probst illustrates the biblical scene of Joseph's brothers leaving Simeon behind in Egypt. It was created in the 18th century, a period marked by growing European interest in biblical stories and exoticized depictions of foreign lands. Notice the division of space. On the left, we see figures in distress, perhaps a depiction of the famine that drove Jacob's sons to Egypt. On the right, a procession exudes wealth and power. This contrast highlights the power dynamics at play: Joseph, now a high-ranking official in Egypt, holds the fate of his family in his hands. The artist uses dress and setting to convey a sense of the 'Orient', an imagined geography constructed by the West. The emotional weight of family separation is thus set against a backdrop of cultural and political difference. It invites us to consider how biblical narratives were used to negotiate questions of identity, power, and the relationship between Europe and the ‘East’ during the Enlightenment.