Plate 4: The Sacrifice of Abraham, from Genesis Chapter 22, after a lost fresco in the basamento of Bay 4 of the Vatican Loggia
Original title: Plate 4: The Sacrifice of Abraham, from Genesis Chapter 22, after a lost fresco in the basamento of Bay 4 of the Vatican Loggia
kurzbeschreibung
Pietro Santi Bartoli's etching (1650–77) captures the sacrifice of Isaac from Genesis 22. It reproduces a fresco in the base of the Vatican Loggia that no longer exists. The horizontal print measures 9.4 cm in height and 23.5 cm in width.
Description
Abraham holds a young man, presumably Isaac, over an altar. An angel approaches from the left, carrying a lamb in one hand and extending the other as if to intervene. A simple landscape of rocks and grass fills the background. Bold contours and shading define the figures in Baroque style. Light falls evenly, without harsh shadows, as is typical of etchings from this period. A Latin quotation from Genesis 22:10 runs along the bottom edge.
Context
In the second half of the 17th century, Bartoli produced numerous reproductive prints after Raphael and his school. The model for this etching, a fresco in the base of the Vatican Loggia, has been lost. Raphael and his workshop decorated the Loggia; Bartoli's print belongs to a series documenting these biblical scenes. The date 1650–77 covers a longer period during which Bartoli worked for various Roman patrons.
Impact
Precise lines and expressive gestures tell the episode clearly yet with restraint. Because the light is evenly distributed and the print is in black and white only, the figures and their actions come to the fore. The narrow, wide format creates a calm effect that is almost reminiscent of a relief.
Technique
For this etching, lines were incised into a metal plate and bitten with acid. The process allows fine, detailed hatching that carries the modeling of the figures. The print was pulled on paper; the plate measures 8.7 × 22.3 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)