Rembrandt van Rijn Leiden 1606 - 1669 Amsterdam, succession 17th/18th century "The Blinding of Isaac" Oil on Canvas 181 x 135 cm Extremely high quality repetition after the original from 1636 in the State Hermitage, St. Petersburg. The painting in oil on canvas (181 x 135 cm) was created by a Dutch painter in the 17th century and shows the binding of Isaac. It is an Old Testament narrative (Gen 22:1-19), in which Abraham is commanded by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. However, an angel appears and stops Abraham from his intention; thus, he has passed God's test. In a dynamic composition, an angel flies from the upper left of the picture down to Abraham in the center, while Isaac presents his vulnerable naked body to the viewer in a reclining pose. The action is set in an idyllic landscape that adds to the drama: to Abraham's left, a view of rocky outcrops and woods around a body of water in the background is revealed. The foreground in the right half of the picture is somber and not further defined; only the altar made of logs shows that the protagonists are here in a place of sacrifice. The sudden emergence of the quickly approaching angel from the skies is underlined by the moving robe and wings spread in flight. The angel grasps Abraham's right wrist and has his left hand raised, palm facing the viewer; a gesture that gives Abraham pause. This dramatic climax is characterized by turbulent movement and a dynamic turn of Abraham. Abraham, covering his son's face with his left hand, is so startled by the angel's presence that the ornately decorated knife or axe has slipped from his right hand, already raised. The eye contact between the earthly man and the heavenly being represents that moment of great emotional tension when the angel stops Abraham from killing his son. Isaac himself is anonymized, but his physicality has a haunting effect on the viewer: his hands are tied behind his back, a white loincloth is wrapped around his hips, and his legs are tensely bent, awaiting the moment of death. This exposure completely emphasizes the victim role he was to assume before the angel's intervention. However, the light falling on him, probably divine, also points to his redemption. This painting is a masterful repetition after the world-famous painting "The Angel Prevents the Sacrifice of Isaac" (1635) by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), which is now in the collection of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. Other 17th-century variants are in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, although this is a somewhat altered composition, and the University of Missouri's Museum of Art and Archaeology. The dynamic play of lines and the moving, monumental forms are typical of Baroque painting and Rembrandt's works of the 1630s. Furthermore, the deliberate use of contrasting light and shadow, as well as the detailed elaboration of clothing and attributes, is a striking characteristic of the great master. Provenance: Important Austrian private collection Comparison: https://www.kressfoundation.org/kress-collection/artwork/28ad5d6f9557eaad89fa98e0bb92ab2dfbac6d65ce71cefc24ecdd780db48f8