Aosta - West Side - W3WB18bis

N E W S

  Aosta
West Side
W3WB18bis

N E W S




Measured length
0.0
W3WB18bisWS 3D

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W3WB18bisWS SW

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W3WB18bisW W

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W3WB18bisWN NW

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Story of Jacob, the first seven years of labor for Laban

Along with its twin (W3EB18), these capitals constitute not only a unity of supporting elements, but are also bound to one another by elements of the represented scene.

Both capitals represent Jacob on his journey to the Land of his mother’s brother, Laban, where he encounters his future wife Rachel at a well (Gen 29:9-12).
Rachel has come to the well to water her father’s flock. She waits until all the other flocks have reached the well because first the stone that covered the well has to be rolled aside. Jacob, however, pushes away the stone for Rachel, so that her own sheep can drink (west side).

The herd of animals takes up not only all four sides of this capital, which faces the courtyard of the cloister, but also the south and east sides of its paired capital located towards the cloister’s entrance: goats, rams, sheep, and pigs.
The north side of capital W3WB18bis shows Rachel with her older sister Leah, with whom Jacob married first after performing seven years of service according to an agreement made with her father Laban. Only after a further seven years of labor for Laban can Jacob finally take Rachel for a wife.

The scene in this segment of the narrative is also accompanied by an inscription: LIA / RACHEL / PUTEUS

wife well water stone spring sheep ram Rachel PUTEUS pig sister LIA labour mother Leah Laban journey Jacob inscription herd goat flock father brother animal