In this work, Mockrin reimagines Francesco Furini’s 1632 painting, “The Birth of Benjamin and the Death of Rachel". What first drew Mockrin to this biblical scene from the book of Genesis was a figure sewing up the fabric of Rachel’s dress, a futile and strikingly tender gesture just moments before her death.

Delving into research, Mockrin learned that the active sewing of Rachel’s garment may have been an allusion to the caesarian section procedure. This is supported by the presence of a man in Furini’s painting -- in Mockrin's work this figure appears more androgynous -- who stands behind Rachel and appears to hold her down. Men did not attend births in biblical times, and so their presence indicates that something has gone wrong: that additional medical assistance was needed, perhaps to hold the patient down in order to perform a surgical procedure.

Mockrin notes, “The bodies in my paintings are often vulnerable to anonymous interventions coming from outside the frame.” There is an ambiguity to the numerous hands that reach out to touch Rachel – are they helping, or hurting? The eternal relevance of biblical and mythic stories are emphasized here. This painting can be read as a metaphor for our own contemporary political atmosphere, in which pregnant individuals must often contend with unwanted outside involvement.