Leah’s Struggles

The statues of Leah and Rachel flank the celebrated sculpture of Moses on Michelangelo’s Tomb of Julius II commissioned in 1505 and only finally completed on a reduced scale in 1545. Originally, this monument was designed to incorporate over forty statues. To the disappointment of Michelangelo, its impressive scope was diminished through a series of revisions by the Pope.

The inclusion of Leah and Rachel was a later development replacing an earlier set of sculptures known as the Slaves. Leah is portrayed as a Roman matron dressed elaborately with an intricately braided hairstyle. Her gaze is cast downward in contrast to Rachel whose clasped hands and face are turned towards the heavens in prayer. The contrast between the sisters is further amplified by Rachel’s stark dress and lack of ornamentation.

Allegorical readings of Leah and Rachel are found in many writers—including Augustine and Dante—and probably served as inspirations for the artist. In particular, Dante describes a more reflective Rachel versus a Leah who proclaims that ‘action is my delight, reflection hers’ (Purgatory 27.108). Although Dante’s Rachel gazes contemplatively at her reflection in a mirror, one finds the opposite in Michelangelo’s sculpture. In her right hand, it is now Leah who holds what seems to be a mirror, interpreted by older biographers of Michelangelo as a symbol of prudence or wisdom (Frommel 2016: 66). The heavenward orientation in Rachel’s stance is a more straightforward adaptation of personifications of Faith. Thus, both sisters stand equally as symbols for the active and contemplative life, one focused on the heavenly and the other on the earthly world.

Leah and Rachel’s significance for Michelangelo is not clear, especially their inclusion in a monument designed to commemorate an ambitious pope like Julius II. Ironically, the statue of the pope on the upper tier is much smaller and less impressive than the central massive statue of Moses. Though Rachel and Leah are quite diminished in stature compared to Moses, Leah’s presence as an equal mother of Israel seems to be assumed by Michelangelo.

References

Alighieri, Dante. 1955. The Divine Comedy II: Purgatory trans. by Dorothy Sayers (New York: Penguin Classics)

Frommel, Christoph Luitpold. 2016. Michelangelo’s Tomb for Julius II: Genesis and Genius (Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum)

Dutch artist Hendrick ter Brugghen captures a tense moment between two arguing men who ignore the woman caught between them. In the background, the forgotten remains of a meal lie scattered and abandoned on the table. The painting was originally unnamed, but it probably portrays Jacob’s confrontation with his father-in-law Laban, who has substituted his daughter Leah as a wife for Jacob, in place of his other daughter Rachel (Genesis 29:21–26) whom Jacob loves and prefers.

Jacob’s marriage to Leah will not deter him from also—shortly afterwards—marrying her sister Rachel too (Genesis 29:30).

Jacob wearing red, occupies the left foreground. His face is shadowed but his pointing gesture toward the seated elderly figure seems unmistakably aggressive. The diagonal positioning of his shepherd’s crook neatly divides the painting, separating the two sisters who are visible to either side of him. Jacob and the woman peeking around the corner—presumably Rachel—are connected, while Laban and Leah are aligned on the other side. Conversely, the brighter colours of Jacob and Leah’s clothing , while the subdued tones of Rachel and Laban’s clothing cause them to recede.

The highlighting of Leah is unexpected given that Rachel, as the object of Jacob’s love, is conventionally treated by interpreters and artists as the favoured sister. The stillness of Leah’s figure is particularly arresting as she gazes past the drama unfolding beside her. With her right arm curled against her body—perhaps protectively—her despondency is palpable as Jacob accuses Laban of duplicity, thereby effectively rejecting his elder daughter.

Traditionally, readers of this text are drawn to the supposed love story between Jacob and Rachel, dismissing Leah’s contribution to the immediate narrative and the larger history of Israel. However, Brugghen’s deliberate emphasis on the figure of Leah complicates this interpretation. By drawing our attention to her, he simultaneously recognizes her as a passive participant in a negotiation between two men while signalling that there is more to her story. Conversely, although she is positioned between Jacob and Laban on a left–right axis, she is also apart from them, detached from their confrontation. As the future matriarch of six of the tribes of Israel, she is a figure worth contemplating further.

Pregnant Self Portrait (1984) by Ghislaine Howard foregrounds the physical and emotional experience of the expectant mother. The woman’s figure dominates the frame and one’s gaze follows that of the subject whose head is bowed toward her rounded stomach. The features of the woman’s face are obscured but her posture implies a sense of sadness or melancholy that pervades the painting. In fact, the artist herself has noted similarities to Albrecht Dürer’s engraving Melencolia I (1514) in which a female subject sits deep in thought (Howard 1986).

While the slouched position speaks of the woman’s physical exhaustion, there is also a sense of emotional introversion. The isolation of the figure is further intensified by the simplified and pared down background that untethers this image from any particular context.

Howard’s self-portrait has a timeless character rendering it a fitting subject for discussions of Leah and her role as a mother. The muted details of the subject’s clothing and background allows opportunities for new associations outside the original setting.

In Genesis, Leah receives a surprising amount of focus particularly in the naming of her children. This takes the form of an extended dialogue with God, reminiscent of the laments found in the psalms (Ross-Burstall 1994: 164–65). The reader is given momentary access to Leah’s inner condition as she discloses her sense of alienation and rejection from Jacob (Genesis 29:32–33). Her complaint centres on her status as hated and her prayers are acts of trust that God will intervene in her situation. Leah’s laments reveal the complicated reality of her unfulfilled desire for Jacob’s companionship together with her anticipation for children.

Like Howard’s Pregnant Self Portrait in its shedding of light on women’s underrepresented experiences, Leah’s prayers give further insight into a character who is too often overlooked.

References

Howard, Ghislaine. 1986. ‘Self portraiture’, The Artist Magazine, available at https://ghislainehoward.com/art-paintings-drawings/the-human-condition/self-portraiture/ [accessed 1 May 2021]

Ross-Burstall, Joan. 1994. ‘Leah and Rachel: A Tale of Two Sisters’, Word & World, 14.2: 162–70