Eliezer and Rebecca (Louvre) – Detail 6: The symbolic role of the jugs

Poussin has given rhythm to the directing lines by way of an interplay of jugs (at least 10) as if he was playing with the formal motif of the jug: vases, forms close to that of the amphora, the pelike and the Greek stamnos or hydria. The parallel with feminine forms is also inescapable. And the idea of virginity: Is Poussin emphasising the innocence or purity of Rebecca?

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