Rebekka, de vrouw van Isaak. NL-HlmNHA 1477 53010696

Rebecca stands in the foreground, elegantly dressed in flowing Mannerist drapery as she prepares to draw water. In the background, a caravan of camels and travelers represents Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, who identifies her as the future wife of Isaac. The engraving is characterized by the swelling and tapering lines typical of the Haarlem style of the late 16th century.

Hendrick Goltzius was the leading figure of the Haarlem Mannerists, a circle that blended technical virtuosity with Christian humanism and Neoplatonic ideals of beauty. This print, part of a series on virtuous women, reflects the collaboration between artists and scholars like Cornelis Schonaeus in the intellectual culture of the Dutch Republic.