The Israelites gathering Manna in the Wilderness
Jacob Willemsz de Wet the Elder (Haarlem c.1610 - Haarlem c.1671)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1630 - 1671
Materials
Oil on panel
Measurements
508 x 635 mm (20 x 25 in)
Place of origin
Holland
Order this imageCollection
Calke Abbey, Derbyshire
NT 290215
Caption
De Wet was a pupil of Rembrandt, noted for his Biblical scenes. The Israelites, having been exiled from Egypt, were forced to travel through the desert, and soon began to starve (the episode is described in the Old Testament book of Exodus, 16:14-36). God sent Manna (small pellets of bread) from heaven to alleviate their hunger. Moses is shown in a red cloak, top right, directing the Israelites. De Wet has placed the event in an idyllic landscape setting.
Summary
Oil painting on panel, The Israelites gathering Manna in the Wilderness by Jacob Willemsz. de Wet the Elder (Haarlem c.1610 - Haarlem 1671/2), signed J. v. Wet on box in front of man. In the centre of the picture is a crowd of women and children, behind a landscape and sunset. As related in the biblical book Exodus 16: 14-22, the Israelites with Moses and Aaron had left the relatively luxurious life in Egypt to go to the promised land of Canaan but on their journey they found themselves in the wilderness with no food. God provided quail in the evening and bread from heaven, which they called manna, that they could only gather enough for each person each morning and on the sixth day there would be twice enough to prepare for the day of rest. De Wet was a pupil of Rembrandt and noted for his biblical scenes. His son Jacob de Wet II (died 1697) was James II's painter in Scotland, where he painted in Holyrood House.
Provenance
Calke Abbey was given to the National Trust by Henry Harpur Crewe (1921-1991) and the contents, including this painting, were acquired with the aid of a grant from the National Heritage Fund, thanks to a special allocation of money from the Government, in 1984.
Credit line
Calke Abbey, The Harpur Crewe Collection (acquired with the help of the help of the National Heritage Memorial Fund)
Marks and inscriptions
Recto: Signed on box in front of man: J. v Wit / Wet
Makers and roles
Jacob Willemsz de Wet the Elder (Haarlem c.1610 - Haarlem c.1671) , artist