The Book of Genesis (25:29–34) tells how the patriarch Jacob obtained the birthright that rightfully belonged to his elder brother Esau. Returning home famished from a day outdoors, Esau asks Jacob to give him some of the stew that he has prepared. In exchange, Jacob demands the birthright, which Esau willingly relinquishes—to his later regret. Here, Esau is shown standing to the left, leaning forward and reaching toward his brother, while the seated Jacob restrains him with one hand and grasps the bowl of food in the other. Jacob appears to have just settled down to his meal, for he sits at a table set with plates and a drinking cup. The scene is apparently taking place in a rich house, with some architectural details visible to the upper left. On the right, a curtain of rich green fabric has been pulled aside to reveal a landscape beyond, a subtle allusion to Esau’s identity as a hunter and denizen of the outdoors, which in the biblical text is contrasted with Jacob’s domesticity. Rather oddly, the artist has chosen to characterize Esau’s active nature by dressing him in contemporary Polish garb, consisting of a yellow coat and a tall, fur-lined hat very similar to those seen in the famous Polish Rider by Rembrandt and his workshop.