Cats in Art: Esau Selling His Birthright to Jacob (Corneille)

From my continuing weekly Sunday series of cats in art.  Having moved on from Stefano Zuffi's marvelous work, The Cat in Art, I am now using some ideas from Caroline Bugler's equally impressive book, The Cat/3500 Years of the Cat in Art.

Image credit FineArtAmerica, Esau Selling His Birthright to Jacob, Michel Corneille, 1630, oil on canvas, 45" x 49", held by Musee des Beau Arts, Orleans, France.

And the kitty close up from the lower left:

Bugler's comment:

While the dog is alert and interested in the human interaction, the cat sitting by the fireside seems completely oblivious to the drama: it has just discovered its own reflection in the lid of the copper pot in which the lentils were cooked.

This key event in human history merely causes the kitty to scope out its own image.  To the cat's credit, it certainly knows what is important.

And I hardly need to point out that the artist has placed the cat in the lower left corner of the painting.  Yet again.  That positioning must have been taught in the art schools of Europe since the Middle Ages!

[Gary note: With my Cats in Arts posts, I encourage you to scope out the art appreciation site Artsy (I have no financial interest in the site, I just like it), where you can explore many aspects of the world of art.  You'll certainly be entertained and enlightened!]