Landscape with Jacob Wrestling with the Angel

On returning to Canaan, Jacob, who feared his elder brother Esau’s vengeance, sent his servants ahead with a peace offering. That night an angel came to him, and they wrestled until daybreak. By remaining undefeated, Jacob earned God’s blessing and a new name, Israel. Claude incorporated this subject into one of his few night scenes, linking the first rays of the morning sun with the favourable outcome of this turning point in the biblical story.