Abraham’s Sacrifice of Isaac
European Art

Abraham’s Sacrifice of Isaac
Artwork Details
Artist/Maker
Il Baciccio (Giovanni Battista Gaulli)
Italian, 1639–1709
Italian, 1639–1709
Date
ca. 1700
Medium
Oil on canvas
Accession #
58.31
Dimensions
63 1/4 x 51 5/8 inches
Location
On View - Stent Family Wing, Level 2, Gallery 204
Description
Giovanni Battista Gaulli presented the Old Testament narrative of Abraham sacrificing his only son to God with dynamic theatricality. The heroic figures of Abraham and the angel are clothed in swirling drapery that reflects the artist’s training under Bernini, Rome’s most renowned artist. The painting’s original context is unknown, but by 1761 the work had entered the home of Gaulli’s son Giulio, where it was displayed alongside other biblical works, including another work on view in this gallery, The Thanksgiving of Noah.