Jacob Struggling with the Angel
ca. 1440
The Netherlands, Utrecht
MS M.917/945, pp. 36–73
Purchased on the Belle da Costa Greene Fund with the assistance of the Fellows, 1963
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Fortitude, the fourth gift of the Holy Spirit, is represented by Jacob's conquest of the angel. Catherine of Cleves would have been assisted in this obscure reference by the textual key provided in the top margin: "The strong Jacob says 'I will not let you go.' The angel begs, 'Let me go; dawn has arrived.'" The inspiring Dove of the Holy Spirit flies above the patriarch's head. The angel's sacerdotal garb, similar to that worn in previous miniatures, makes him analogous with the Holy Spirit.