The Sacrifice of Isaac, Tobias and the Angel, The Angels Appearing to Abraham, Abraham Welcoming the Three Angels (painting series)

1750s

The Sacrifice of Isaac, Tobias and the Angel, The Angels Appearing to Abraham, Abraham Welcoming the Three Angels (painting series), 1750s. Francesco Guardi (Italian, 1712–1793). Oil on canvas; framed: 71 x 90.5 x 5.5 cm (27 15/16 x 35 5/8 x 2 3/16 in.); unframed: 56.5 x 75.5 cm (22 1/4 x 29 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1952.235 This series of paintings predominantly tells the Old Testament story of Abraham and Isaac, and each of the canvases treats the interaction of humans and angels. In three works, angels appear to Abraham and, in one particularly dramatic canvas, an angel intercepts Abraham before he sacrifices his own son. Like another work in this series, Tobias and the Angels, the Sacrifice of Isaac is a narrative about fathers and sons as well as obedience inspired by faith.