Guardi, Francesco (1712-1793)
Il sacrificio di Isacco (The Sacrifice of Isaac)
1750s
Oil on canvas, 56.5 x 75.5 cm
Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland
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. (CMA)