Rembrandt van Rijn

(Leiden 1606 – 1669 Amsterdam)

"Abraham’s Sacrifice", 1655 [Gen. 22: 9 - 12]

Etching and drypoint on laid paper: 15,6 x 13,1 cm

signed and dated lower right: Rembrandt f. 1655

Provenance

Max Hausdorff (d. after 1924), Northern Germany (Lugt 4071).

Unidentified, initial H in pencil verso (not in Lugt).

Unidentified, inscribed a 9576 in pencil verso (not in Lugt);

Private collection, USA;

Private collection, The Netherlands.

Expertise

Condition:

A very good impression of the only state, printing very clearly, with strong contrasts and light touches of burr

Notes

Abraham’s sacrifice is a story from the Hebrew Bible found in Genesis 22. In the biblical narrative, God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on Moriah. After Isaac is bound to an altar, a messenger from God stops Abraham before the sacrifice finishes, saying "now I know you fear God." Abraham looks up and sees a ram and sacrifices it instead of Isaac. This episode has been the focus of a great deal of commentary in traditional Jewish, Christian, and Muslim sources, as well as being addressed by modern scholarship.

Click photo to enlarge

Category
Rembrandt Prints

Subject Matter
religious