Lorenzo Monaco
Abraham

circa 1408/1410
Tempera on wood, gold ground
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 65.14.1
Gwynne Andrews Fund, 1965

Abraham's attributes here are the sword and fire with which he thought to sacrifice his son, Isaac, who kneels at his feet with his hands pressed together in prayer. Isaac's pose may be influenced by the notion that as a sacrificial victim he was a type of Christ.

One of a set with David, Noah, and Moses. Possibly they flanked an altarpiece.

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Photographed by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.