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Original fileTheatrum biblicum (...)
About This Work
The print is divided into two panels: on the left, Asher stands next to a table of ornate silver vessels and a basket of fruit, symbolizing his tribe's agricultural wealth. On the right, Naphtali is depicted with a hunting horn and a stag, reflecting the biblical blessing that compares him to a 'doe set free.' Both figures are dressed in classical-style tunics and cloaks set against a mountainous landscape.
The Twelve Tribes of Israel were a focal point for Renaissance Christian Hebraists and Kabbalists, who frequently mapped the tribes onto the twelve signs of the Zodiac and the months of the year. This iconography reflects the attempt to find a harmonized cosmic order between the Hebrew Bible and natural philosophy.
Inscriptions(Latin)
ASER Pinque solum tibi dona tulit cerealia multa, Regibus hinc prodes multis uinosq; panesq: Nec Asaro desunt munera Bacche tua Temperat abrosias cum tua terra dapes NAPHTHALI Neptalin ex multis seruatus sepe periclis, Nostra tribus letata fuit saepissime bello, Corniger infestis ceruus [missing text] Sed bonitate dei mox [missing text]
Translation
ASHER Pinque solum tibi brought many cereal gifts, Hence you provide for many kings both wines and breads: Nor, Asher, are your gifts lacking, O Bacchus, When your land tempers ambrosial feasts. NAPHTALI Naphtali, saved often from many perils, Our tribe has rejoiced most often in war, The horned stag [missing text] to the hostile But by the goodness of God soon [missing text]
Connected Texts
Athanasius Kircher
In his 'Oedipus Aegyptiacus', Kircher provides an extensive Kabbalistic and astrological system linking the Twelve Tribes to the signs of the Zodiac.
Genesis 49
The visual attributes of the figures (Asher's abundance and Naphtali's stag) are derived directly from the 'Blessing of Jacob' in this text.
Provenance & Source
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
paper
height 219 mm x width 305 mm
religious
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.