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 II Raphael Tissot

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'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.

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 Who worshiped the calf? Aharon's role How big was the calf? Jewelry or Vessels Nature of worship Aharon as High Priest

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

While Tissot depicts a full assembly of people worshiping the calf, Francken and Raphael have only a small portion of the nation participate.  In addition, whereas Tissot includes only men, the other artists also portray women. Which depiction is closer to the Biblical text?  What percentage of the people actually worshiped the calf?⁴  Were males and females equally involved?⁵

In Tissot's painting Aharon actively worships the calf, whereas in the other renditions he is absent from the devotion. What does the Biblical text say about his participation? The Torah is surprisingly silent, and never explicitly vindicates Aharon. On the other hand, the only sin he is consistently blamed for is making the calf, not worshiping it.

The three artists depict calves of varying sizes. As the Biblical text provides no measurements, it cannot be determined which is most accurate. The issue raises important questions about Aharon's motives in building the calf. Did he really intend to make an alternative deity for the people, or, as several commentators suggest, were all his actions aimed at procrastinating until Moshe arrived? If the former, any sized idol should have sufficed. If the latter, however, he might have attempted to make as big a calf as possible so as to prolong the process.

Francken presents the people as giving Aharon not only earrings, but also golden vessels.  There is no hint to this in the text which explicitly speaks of "נִזְמֵי הַזָּהָב אֲשֶׁר בְּאׇזְנֵי נְשֵׁיכֶם", but the rendition makes the viewer wonder, why didn't Aharon ask for golden vessels? Would it not have made more sense to ask for articles with significant amounts of gold, rather than for a measly earring?  This could support the possibility spoken of above, that this too was a delay tactic of Aharon, who was intentionally not being efficient.  Alternatively, Aharon had no choice, since the people might not have had other gold.  This depends on how one understands what was included in the "כְּלֵי כֶסֶף וּכְלֵי זָהָב" that was "borrowed" from the Egyptians.  See Rashbam in Reparations and Despoiling Egypt who suggests that the terms refer to jewelry to be worn during a festival of worship.

In Francken's painting the Israelites worship the calf through revelry, dancing and eating. In the images of raphael and tissot, in contrast, they kneel and pray.

While Frans Francken II dresses Aharon in the breast plate of the 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.

⁴ 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.

⁵ 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 Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer45About Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer to suggest that the women refused to participate, forcing the men to provide their own jewelry.