The Covenant between Jacob and Laban

The Covenant between Jacob and Laban, painted around 1630, depicts the Old Testament agreement between the patriarch and his father-in-law. This early work for what would become the Louvre collection demonstrates Cortona's skill in multi-figure narrative composition before he turned primarily to monumental fresco painting. The biblical subject allowed for elaborate costume and setting that appealed to Baroque taste for the exotic. The extraordinary diversity of Baroque subject matter—sacred and secular, monumental and intimate—reflected the period's expansion of patronage beyond the church to include merchants, princes, and private individuals with their own varied tastes.

The ceremonial scene is organized around the central act of agreement, with figures in elaborate Eastern costumes arranged in a formal yet dynamic composition. Warm, golden tones and atmospheric landscape elements create a convincing biblical setting.