Artwork Page for The Sacrifice of Isaac, Tobias and the Angel, The Angels Appearing to Abraham, Abraham Welcoming the Three Angels (painting series)

Details / Information for The Sacrifice of Isaac, Tobias and the Angel, The Angels Appearing to Abraham, Abraham Welcoming the Three Angels (painting series)

The Sacrifice of Isaac, Tobias and the Angel, The Angels Appearing to Abraham, Abraham Welcoming the Three Angels (painting series)

1750s

Francesco Guardi

(Italian, 1712–1793)
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Culture
Italy, 18th century
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
Framed: 71 x 90.5 x 5.5 cm (27 15/16 x 35 5/8 x 2 3/16 in.); Unframed: 56.5 x 75.5 cm (22 1/4 x 29 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1952.235
Public Domain
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Location
201 French Neoclassical Painting & Sculpture
Print

Description

This series of paintings predominantly tells the Old Testament story of Abraham and Isaac, and each of the canvases treats the interaction of humans and angels. In three works, angels appear to Abraham and, in one particularly dramatic canvas, an angel intercepts Abraham before he sacrifices his own son. Like another work in this series, Tobias and the Angels, the Sacrifice of Isaac is a narrative about fathers and sons as well as obedience inspired by faith.
A horizontally oriented oil painting is composed of loose, sketch-like brushstrokes and a muted palette. On our left, Abraham, an older man in a red cloak, holds a knife and looks up at a winged angel descending from bright clouds. In the center, Isaac sits nude atop a pile of wood; all three figures have light skin tones. A desaturated blue sky and rocky landscape fill the background.

The Sacrifice of Isaac, Tobias and the Angel, The Angels Appearing to Abraham, Abraham Welcoming the Three Angels (painting series)

1750s

Francesco Guardi

(Italian, 1712–1793)
Italy, 18th century

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