Jacob's Dream

About the Artwork

Joseph Goupy played a significant role in cultivating a taste for Italian art in 18th-century Britain. Here, Goupy copied an oil painting by Salvator Rosa now in the Devonshire Collection at Chatsworth. Copying from Old Masters was a venerated practice in the 18th century. In addition to being an essential aspect of artistic training, the circulation of great works of art served to educate connoisseurs and to shape public opinion. Goupy’s luminous gouaches were highly prized, fetching prices considerably higher than original portraits of the period.

Provenance

1969: (sale, Christie's, London, March 25, 1969, no. 32) after 1969-?: (Yvonne Tan Bunzl, London) ?-?: (William H. Schab, New York) ?-1970: Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Prasse, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH 1970-: Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Exhibition history

Year in Review: 1971. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 28, 1971-February 6, 1972). 18th Century Master Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (October 6-November 22, 1981). I and Thou. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 21-May 27, 1984). Leona E. Prasse, Connoisseur and Curator. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 28-August 25, 1985). Italian Drawings from the Permanent Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 16, 1986-March 1, 1987). Collecting Drawings in England. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 3, 1987-January 17, 1988). British Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art . The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 10-May 26, 2013).

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.

Quick Overview

Artist: Joseph Goupy (British, 1686–before.1770)
Date: c. 1720
Medium: gouache
Dimensions: Sheet: 28.5 x 42 cm (11 1/4 x 16 9/16 in.)
Type: Drawing
Classification: Drawing
Department: Drawings
Credit line: Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Prasse Collection
Accession no.: 1970.362

Open-access museum record · AT-00011030