As Jacob lay with his head on a stone pillow, God sent angels with a message for him to sow his seed throughout the land. The conflict engendered by this commandment is forever caught in the naming of his sons by his competing wives, Rachel and Leah; two sisters and their maids engaged in a strident fertility game, vying for Jacob's love and social standing.

My Jacob's ladder is fashioned after the folk toy of the same name. Like the angels ascending and descending in Jacob's dream, the blocks miraculously fall and rise continuously. A germinating sleeping herb, Jacob's ladder flower, climbs upwards on one side of the ladder. On the other side, the naming of the twelve tribes of Israel is told through the voices of Rachel and Leah.

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Jacob's Ladder
© Beth Grossman
9 feet height x 12" width x 3" depth
Pyrography on wood, watercolor, canvas straps