Sin of the Golden Calf in Art/0/en

The Sin of the Golden Calf in Art

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Overview

The Sin of the Golden Calf represents one of the low points in Israel's history.  The three paintings displayed here, Frans Francken the Younger's Worship of the Golden Calf,¹ Raphael's Adoring the Golden Calf,² and Tissot's The Golden Calf,³ all portray the infamous scene.  Each of the artists depict the story's characters (the calf, Aharon, and the sinning nation) in unique ways, allowing for different understandings of both the nature of the nation's sin and Aharon's role therein.

Contrasting Images

Frans Francken the Younger Francken's image is divided into two scenes. In the forefront, Aharon, dressed in high-priestly garb, sits on a throne-like chair as the Israelites deposit gold vessels and jewelry at his feet. In the distance, a group of men and women dance around a tall column bearing the golden calf. Others lounge nearby, eating and chatting. On the mountain to the viewer's left, Yehoshua and Moshe appear faintly.

Raphael Raphael's rendering focuses on but one scene, the worship of the calf itself. A small group of Israelites kneel on the floor around it. Several point to the calf while others raise their arms in prayer. The assembly contains men, women and children, but Aharon himself appears to be absent. The calf itself is small, just slightly larger than the worshipers' heads. On the left, Moshe and Yehoshua descend the mountain, with the former poised to throw the tablets.

Tissot Like Raphael, Tissot, too, chooses to portray the moment of worship. He depicts a crowded assembly of men, many of which bow their heads and raise their arms in reverence to the large calf. The atmosphere is somber, as the joyous frivolity and dancing of Francken's worshippers is replaced here by awe and supplication. Aharon is highlighted on the left, donning what appears to be a white prayer shawl, apparently leading the others in worship.

Relationship to the Biblical Text The artists' choices reflect certain ambiguities in the Biblical text and different possible interpretive stances:

Who worshiped the calf?

While Tissot portrays only men worshiping the calf, Francken and Raphael include also women.   In addition, whereas Tissot depicts a full assembly of people, the other artists have only a small portion of the nation participate.  How much of the people actually worshiped the calf?  Were males and females equally involved? 

The verses are ambiguous.  On one hand, Hashem initially tells Moshe that he desires to wipe out the nation, suggesting that all were culpable, yet when the Levites kill the offenders, they only smite 3000 people.  Moreover, the chapter ends by stating that  "Hashem plagued the nation", again implicating the people at large.  As far as the women's participation, the text shares that Aharon told the men to gather their wives' earrings, yet the next verse states that "the nation took off their earrings".  This leads Pirkaei deRabbi Eliezer to suggest that the women refused to participate, forcing the men to provide their own jewelry.

Aharon as High Priest While Frans Francken II depicts Aharon donning the breast plate and dressed as high priest, Tissot clothes him as an ordinary Israelite.  The contrasting portraits reflect a controversy regarding when Aharon was selected to be high priest: before or after the Sin of the Golden Calf.  While a simple reading of Sefer Shemot presents Aharon's designation as part of the commands regarding the Mishkan given prior to the Sin, Moshe's recounting of the episode in Devarim 10 suggests that the appointment only took place afterwards. For a full discussion of the issue, see Selection of the Priests and Levites.

¹ Frans Francken II (1581-1642) was a Flemish painter, most known for his small-scale pictures of religious, historical and allegorical scenes.  This painting can be found in Rockox House, Antwerp.

² Raphael (1483-1529), born Raffaello Sanzio, is one of the most famous artists of the Italian High Renaissance.

³ James Tissot (1836-1902) was a French painter who spent the later part of his career painting Biblical scenes. In the last years of his life he focused on material from the Old Testament, many of which were exhibited in Paris in the year before his death.  This work is currently housed in The Jewish Museum, New York.