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Sébastien Bourdon , French, 1616-1671

Title

?Abraham's Sacrifice near Bethel

Datec.1640

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions

85.5 x 118.2 cm

Credit LinePresented by Sir Denis Mahon to the British Fund for the National Gallery of Ireland, 2008

Object numberNGI.4644

Exhibition HistoryVon Poussin bis Monet. Die Farben Frankreichs, Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg, 10 October 2015 - 17 January 2016

Label TextA group of men, women, and children, travelling with livestock, have halted next to a well. The men gather firewood, and appear to have sacrificed a sheep which lies next to the stone platform. Bourdon, a versatile painter from the south of France, often reused elements in a number of his paintings. The women and children, the bearded man, the pony, and the copper pots all reappear in other biblical compositions by the artist. This scene may represent the Old Testament story of the reconciliation of Jacob and Laban.