Jacob's Dream of the Ladder to Heaven

In Genesis, Jacob is on the run. He has tricked his brother Esau out of their father's blessing, and on his way to his uncle in Haran he lies down for the night with a stone under his head. He dreams of a ladder standing on the earth with its top in heaven, and angels going up and down on it. Fetti paints him as a young traveller who has simply fallen asleep at the side of the road, while the angels climb above him through a break in dark clouds. Around 1619, when this small panel was made, the dream could be read in more than one way, as a foreshadowing of Christ's resurrection or as the soul's climb towards the spiritual, and the museum notes how well a vision like this suited Fetti's liking for parables and visions. Down in the corner lies Jacob's dog, asleep as well, a companion the Bible never gives him.