The sacrifice of Abraham.

Drawing, pen and black/grey ink, gray wash, over a sketch in red chalk, framing lines in brown ink, 14,6 x 21,5 cm, laid paper, unsigned (sm. diagonal crease at upper left corner, trimmed just outside framing lines).

Mounted by upper left corner on 18th-c. paper, under passe-partout.

The dramatic scene where Abraham is stopped by the angel from sacrificing his only son Isaac. The ram can be seen trapped in the bush on the right. The drawing was probably a design for an engraving (in reverse) illustrating an edition of Flavius Josephius, "Alle de werken van den Joodsche Oudheden", publ. in Amsterdam by J. Oosterwijk in 1722. Both as printmakers and designers, the artists Caspar Luyken (1672-1708, son of the better-known Jan Luyken) and Jan Goeree (1670-1731) were involved in producing the numerous illustrations for this edition, and also produced other book illustrations. It is to the latter that the present drawing, as well as the related print can be attributed based on stylistic comparison. Several other drawings by him for the Josephius project survive, including sheets in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, the Leiden University library and the Metropolitan Museum.
Prov. Albert Van Loock (coll. stamp on verso, L. 3751).