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Abraham Sacrificing Isaac

ca. 1629–32
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Having proved to God his willingness to sacrifice his own son, Abraham is miraculously stopped by the intervention of an angel, who points to a substitute ram. Damaged and unfinished, the picture allows us to see with the aid of infrared imaging (shown nearby) the alternatives Valentin considered as he posed and reposed the models in his studio. The final picture is therefore the culmination of reposing real figures rather than refining the design in drawings. And the result is a human-centered interpretation.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Abraham Sacrificing Isaac
  • Artist: Valentin de Boulogne (French, Coulommiers-en-Brie 1591–1632 Rome)
  • Date: ca. 1629–32
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 58 3/4 × 73 1/4 in. (149.2 × 186.1 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Gift of Lord Strathcona and family
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings