Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, The Sacrifice of Isaac
| Full title | The Sacrifice of Isaac |
|---|---|
| Artist | Giovanni Battista Piazzetta |
| Artist dates | 1683 - 1754 |
| Date made | probably after 1735 |
| Medium and support | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 201.2 × 133.4 cm |
| Acquisition credit | Presented by Sir Robert Witt through the Art Fund, 1917 |
| Inventory number | NG3163 |
| Location | Not on display |
| Collection | Main Collection |
Piazzetta left this large canvas – probably intended as an altarpiece – unfinished. It depicts the Old Testament story in which Abraham’s faith is tested when he is ordered to sacrifice his only son, Isaac.
Wild-eyed, Abraham raises his arm and looks heavenward in despair. His bearded head is amongst the most finished passages of the painting, while the knife he wields has barely been sketched in. Isaac cowers in fear at his side, his torso roughly rendered in pale paint, as an angel intervenes to save him.
In the early twentieth century, this painting was owned by Roger Fry (1866–1934), the Bloomsbury Group painter and art critic. It seems likely that Fry ‘finished’ the picture, covering much of Piazzetta’s original brushwork. Conservation treatment carried out from 2020 to 2022 removed these additions and revealed that The Sacrifice of Isaac is painted directly on top of another unfinished composition. Piazzetta’s bold handling of paint can now be fully appreciated for the first time in a hundred years.
The picture is unfinished and misleadingly restored in part.
Piazzetta treated the Sacrifice of Isaac in a number of compositions; this one was intended for an altarpiece. A date of about 1735 has been suggested for the painting but it may be of a few years later.
Download a low-resolution copy of this image for personal use.
License and download a high-resolution image for reproductions up to A3 size from the National Gallery Picture Library.
License imageThis image is licensed for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons agreement.
Examples of non-commercial use are:
- Research, private study, or for internal circulation within an educational organisation (such as a school, college or university)
- Non-profit publications, personal websites, blogs, and social media
The image file is 800 pixels on the longest side.
As a charity, we depend upon the generosity of individuals to ensure the collection continues to engage and inspire. Help keep us free by making a donation today.
You must agree to the Creative Commons terms and conditions to download this image.
Behind the scenes
This is a YouTube video player. Below the video are the title, view time and description. Below that is a carousel of video thumbnails. Clicking a thumbnail will load and play that video.
[Video title]
In this episode, Larry Keith, Head of Conservation, and Kendall Francis, Conservation Fellow, explain how they approached the retouching of Piazzetta's 'Sacrifice of Isaac', an unfinished work with a daunting amount of painting loss.