COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
Record
AMICA ID:
CMA_.1937.577
AMICA Library Year:
1998
Object Type:
Paintings
Creator Name:
Sarto, Andrea del
Creator Nationality:
Italian
Creator Role:
artist
Creator Dates/Places:
1486 - 1530
Gender:
M
Creator Name-CRT:
Andrea del Sarto
Title:
The Sacrifice of Isaac
Title Type:
Primary
View:
Full View
Creation Date:
c. 1527
Creation Start Date:
1525
Creation End Date:
1529
Materials and Techniques:
oil on wood
Dimensions:
Unframed: 178cm x 138cm
AMICA Contributor:
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Owner Location:
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
ID Number:
1937.577
Credit Line:
Delia E. Holden and L. E. Holden Funds
Context:
As told in Genesis (22:1-14), God tested Abraham's faith by commanding him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Abraham prepared to comply, but God sent an angel to stop him. Andrea del Sarto's composition depicts the dramatic moment when the angel appearsto Abraham. In the background at the left is the ram that was sacrificed instead.The picture's unfinished state provides valuable insight into the artist's painting technique. Underdrawing, freely sketched into the gesso (a chalky material applied to givethe panel a smooth surface), is evident throughout the picture, especially at the far right in the figures, drapery and donkey. Also evident are pentimenti (underlying images), which show that the artist removed a third tree at the left and attempted toreposition the angel. Scholars have suggested that the artist never completed this picture because he was unable to resolve the placement of the angel.Cut this if there's not enough room:Two later versions by the artist exist: a smaller painting in the Prado, Madrid, and a larger one in the Gemaldegalerie, Dresden.
Related Image Identifier Link:
CMA_.1937.577.tif
