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Giorgio Vasari's Dream of Jacob

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Giorgio Vasari's Dream of Jacob Giorgio Vasari's Dream ofJacob: A Neoplatonic Manifestation of Heaven Liana De Girolami Cheney And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels oJGod ascending and descending on the Son of Man" ljerusalem Bible, Gen. 28:12;John 1:51}. iorgio Vasari's Dream if Jacob (The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD) was commissioned by the Florentine Marsiglio G degli Albizi (1476--c.1560) in 1558 (Zeri 331-33; Gahtan 100).1 Originally intended as a ceiling painting, it was actually not realized (del Vita 79; Ricordo 245; Frey 873).2 The scene depicted is when, As recounted in the Old Testament book of Genesis, on his way to Haran, Jacob lays down in the wilderness to sleep, resting his head on a stone. He is dreaming of angels ascending and descending a stairway or ladder to and from heaven. God then appears and blesses Jacob and his descendants (Zeri 331-33; Gahtan 100).3 In the first part, this essay analyzes how, in his composition, Vasari visually pays homage to the Vatican biblical cycles of Michelangelo and Raphael. It studies how Vasari symbolically reveals the traditional humanistic culture of the Albizi. In the early Renaissance, this noble family promoted Dante's Divine Comedy and corresponded with Marsilio Ficino, the Neoplatonic philosopher (Salaman 77-78). In the Dream if Jacob, Vasari incorporates Dante's visualization of ascending and descending from II Paradiso and Marsilio Ficino's Neoplatonic doctrine on the mystery of the soul (Ginsberg 41-69).4 Vasari is revealing his religious sentiments about the present religious transformations of the Counter-Reformation. The Bible describes Jacob's dream in this manner: Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. When he had reached a certain place he passed the night there, since the sun had set. Taking one of the stones to be found at that place, he made it his pillow and lay down there where he was. He had a dream: a ladder was there, standing on the ground with its top reaching the heaven; and there were angels of God going up it and coming down and Yahweh was there, standing over him, saying, "I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendent shall be like the specks of dust on the group; you shall spread to the west and the east, to the north and the south and all clans will bless themselves by you and your descendants. Be sure, I am with you; I shall keep you safe wherever you go, and bring you back to this country, for I shall never desert you until I have done what I have promised you." Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Truly Yahweh is in this place and I did not know!" He was afraid and said, "How awe-inspiring this place is! This is nothing less than the abode of God, and this is the gate to heaven!" Early next morning, Jacob took the stone he had used for his pillow, and set it up as a pillar, pouring oil over the top of it. He named the place Bethel [sic House of God], but before that the town had been called Luz. EIRe 39.1 (Summer 2013): 5-21 6 Jacob then made this vow, "If God remains with me and keeps me safe on this journey I am making, if He gives me food to eat and clothes to wear and if I come home safe to my father's home, then Yahweh shall be my God. This stone I have set up as pillar to be the house of God, and I shall faithfully pay you and ten part of everything you give me" Oerusalem Bible, Genesis 28:10-20). Vasari visualizes the biblical description in the following manner: with Mannerist golden and salmon-sunrise colors, he paints a heavenly world-staircase, angels, and God. While employing greenish and brownish colors, he depicts the earthy world-the cave and Jacob. In an asymmetrical composition, Vasari depicts a painting with the religious theme ofJacob's dream, also calledjacob's Ladder. At the upper, left side of the composition, angels ascend and descend an imaginary heavenly, golden staircase. Seven angels, in particular, approach the foreground of the composition. On the right side in the upper part of the composition, a windblown figure of God the Father embracing two baby angels appears in a cloud. God blesses the seven angels on the staircase with His right hand, holding a blank open book in His left hand, probably his divine legacy, The Bible. Receptive to God's blessing, the angels respond with gestures of humility-some with open arms, some with crossed arms, others with praying hands. In the lower part of the composition, below God's blessing, Vasari depicts Jacob taking refuge in a cave. The dark shelter is covered with oak leaves, acorns and branches. Jacob's staff rests on the trunk of an old oak tree, while his traveling sack is placed next to the tree. His pilgrimage items, staff and sack, allude to his journey. The oak tree foliage creates a protective canopy for the tired traveler. Vasari envelops the reclining figure ofJacob with a red mantel, alluding to his state of sleep. Following the biblical description, Vasari places two stones as pillows below Jacob's arm. During his sleep, Jacob has a vision of a divine stairway with angelic figures and of God the Father. The overall composition is divided into a metaphysical and a physical frame. On the left side, God the Father and the descending angels partake of the metaphysical or spiritual realm, while the ascending angels and Jacob allude to the natural or physical realm. In the visual tradition of depicting Jacob's dream, there are two versions: one representingJacob viewing a ladder and one depictingJacob looking at a staircase. Vasari portrays the second version. His imagery is inspired by the visual tradition of depicting this biblical theme. As always, Vasari manifests his own creativity, as will be demonstrated in this essay. Reviewing some of the traditional depictions of this theme, in comparison to Vasari's, one observes Vasari's diagonal design, revealing Fig. 1. Giorgio Vasari, Dream cfJacob, 1558. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD. A gift from Dr. Francis D. Murnagham Fund, 1973. Photo credit: The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD. Fig. 2. Giorgio Vasari, Dream cfJacob, 1538, drawing. Cabinet des dessins de Musee du Louvre, Paris. Photo credit: RNM/Art Resource, NY .
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