Esau Selling his Birthright to Jacob

The frescoes in the Villa Cornaro are Bortolini’s first known works. The works on the first floor focus on episodes from the Old Testament, while those on the upper floor are derived from the New Testament. On the first floor, the small rooms to the left of the main hall are dedicated to the narration of the stories of Moses and King Solomon, while those to the right are reserved for episodes relating to Noah, Abraham, and Jacob. The images are extremely simplified in the presentation of the subject matter.

The scene of Esau Selling his Birthright to Jacob is set in their father, Isaac’s humble kitchen, where, clearly visible in the centre, is a hearth with a pot of boiling lentils that is the prize being bartered between the brothers, who are the sole protagonists of the event.