{"id":415,"date":"2021-05-14T17:01:45","date_gmt":"2021-05-14T17:01:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/?page_id=415"},"modified":"2021-05-16T18:18:25","modified_gmt":"2021-05-16T18:18:25","slug":"the-sacrifice-of-abraham","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/the-sacrifice-of-abraham\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sacrifice of Abraham"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Sacrifice of Abraham<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

ARTIST: Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606 \u2013 1669)
DATE: 1655
TECHNIQUE: Etching<\/a>, drypoint<\/a>
DIMENSIONS: Platemark<\/a>: 15.6 x 13.1 cm, Paper Size: 16.6 x 14.1 cm
STATE<\/a>: I\/I
WATERMARK<\/a>: Partial, Arms of Amsterdam
SIGNATURE: \u201cRembrandt f 1655\u201d (\u201cd\u201d and \u201c6\u201d reversed)
CATALOGUE REFERENCE: New Hollstein Dutch 287-1(1), Bartsch 35-1(1), Hollstein Dutch 35-1(1)
CREDIT LINE: Gift of A. Richard and Jane B. Turner
COLLECTOR\u2019S MARK<\/a>: George W. Reid (Lugt 1210)
PROVENANCE: Frederick Keppel & Co. Rare Engravings and Etchings, No. 4 East 39th Street, New York
OBJECT NUMBER: 2010.025<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In Rembrandt\u2019s etching of the Old Testament story, Abraham kneels before his son Isaac, poised to sacrifice him as a test of his faith. At the last moment, God sends an angel to prevent the harrowing act, providing a lamb as an alternative offering. Although Rembrandt does not include the lamb, the figures in the background closely follow the description of the scene in Genesis. Abraham\u2019s servants were told to stay back with the mule while he and his son performed the sacrifice\u2013\u2013they can be seen waiting below the hill in the bottom right corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was not the first time Rembrandt composed an image of this biblical story. In 1635, he created a more theatrical interpretation in a painting entitled The Sacrifice of Isaac<\/a>. <\/em>Abraham forcefully palms his son\u2019s face with one hand, revealing the vulnerable flesh of Isaac\u2019s neck. The 1655 etching is gentler in contrast, highlighting the empathetic connection between Abraham and the angel. The angel\u2019s tight grip on Abraham\u2019s hands, one of which still holds the knife, stresses the tension of the scene. At the same time, his thickly feathered wings and encircling arms tenderly shield and embrace the sorrowful father. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dramatic lighting further heightens the spirituality of the moment, with sharp diagonal lines representing beams of heavenly light. In the background, dark crosshatching<\/a> builds up depth while foregrounding the triangular formation of the three protagonists. The hatching<\/a> in the shadows appears to be applied over a more simply etched initial composition, giving the piece a less finished look than some of his other prints that mimic his oil paintings more directly. Finally, Rembrandt added drypoint to areas where greater detail was desired, which can be best observed on the figures and the cloak behind Isaac. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This impression<\/a> is from the only state of the print, and features a collector\u2019s mark George W. Reid (1819\u20131887), a prints curator at the British Museum in London. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written by Bridget Donner, edited by Simone Edgar Holmes <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bibliography<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinterding, Erik, and Ger Luijten, Martin Royalton-Kisch, Marijn Schapelhouman, Peter Schatborn, and Ernst van de. Wetering. Rembrandt the Printmaker<\/em>. London: British Museum Press, 2001. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lugt, Frits. \u201cReid, George W.: L.1210.\u201d Frits Lugt, Les Marques de Collections de Dessins & d\u2019Estampes. Accessed July 8, 2020. http:\/\/www.marquesdecollections.fr\/detail.cfm\/marque\/7337\/total\/1. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The State Hermitage Museum. \u201cRembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn. 1606-1669, Sacrifice of Isaac.\u201d Accessed July 8, 2020, https:\/\/www.hermitagemuseum.org\/wps\/portal\/hermitage\/digital-collection\/01.+Paintings\/43367. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

White, Christopher. Rembrandt as Etcher: A Study of the Artist at Work<\/em>. University Park and London: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1969.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Sacrifice of Abraham ARTIST: Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606 \u2013 1669)DATE: 1655TECHNIQUE: Etching, drypointDIMENSIONS: Platemark: 15.6 x 13.1 cm, Paper Size: 16.6 x 14.1 cmSTATE: I\/IWATERMARK: Partial, Arms of AmsterdamSIGNATURE: \u201cRembrandt f 1655\u201d (\u201cd\u201d and \u201c6\u201d reversed)CATALOGUE REFERENCE: New Hollstein Dutch 287-1(1), Bartsch 35-1(1), Hollstein Dutch 35-1(1)CREDIT LINE: Gift of A. Richard and Jane…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-415","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":489,"href":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/415\/revisions\/489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/museum.middcreate.net\/projects\/early-modern-dutch-prints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}