Juan de Valdes Leal, 'The Sacrifice of Isaac', 1657-9

Overview

A winged angel, resplendent in billowing yellow fabric, reaches out to stay Abraham’s hand, preventing him from killing his only son, Isaac. To test Abraham’s faith, God commanded the ageing patriarch to sacrifice Isaac, relenting at the last possible moment. The glinting blade, already raised, menaces the young man’s exposed and contorted body, pressed against the ground by his father’s hand.

One of the finest examples of Valdés Leal’s mature style, this moving painting demonstrates the artist’s flair for dramatic composition and his ability to unite suggestive, loose brushwork with passages of precise observation. The dynamic angel is represented in motion, with hair flying and feathered wings outstretched, while Isaac, blindfolded and bound, has a sculptural stillness. From the shadows in the bottom left corner, a carefully represented ram looks on.

In the 1690s, The Sacrifice of Isaac was recorded in the collection of Nicolás Omazur, a Flemish merchant who lived in Seville and was one of Murillo’s major patrons. Omazur also owned at least six other works by Valdés Leal. This painting was completed around the same time as the National Gallery’s The Immaculate Conception with Two Donors.