Govert Flinck and the Blessing of Jacob

'Isaac blessing Jacob' (1638) by Govert Flinck; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Govert Flinck, born on January 25, 1615, is one of those Dutch painters that I know by name but never know exactly what his most famous paintings are. He was a portrait painter among others and he is well-known for his so-called Civic Guard Group Portraits (in Dutch: 'Schuttersstukken'). If you don't know what a 'Schuttersstuk' looks like, then think of Rembrandt's 'The Night Watch'. Click here for 'Schuttersstukken' by Flinck in the Rijksmuseum (in Dutch). Since I am not particular fond of this kind of paintings, I've chosen the beautiful 'Isaac blessing Jacob', an image of the biblical story. The painting reminds me very much of Rembrandt's work which isn't surprising. Flinck was a pupil of Rembrandt until 1636 and was greatly influenced by his master.