Abraham and Isaac on the Way to Sacrifice, from Landscapes with Biblical and Mythological Scenes
1558
Medium
Etching on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 22.6 × 31.3 cm (8 15/16 × 12 3/8 in.); sheet: 27.3 × 37.3 cm (10 3/4 × 14 11/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
268109
Art Historical Context
In the intricate etching *Abraham and Isaac on the to Sacrifice* (1558), Flemish printmaker Hieronymus Cock a pivotal moment from the Book of Genesis. Part of his series *Landscapes with and Mythological Scenes*, work depicts the solemn journey of Abraham and his son Isaac toward Mount Moriah, where Abraham believes he must sacrifice Isaac as a test of faith. Tiny figures of the pair wind through a vast, detailed landscape, emphasizing human vulnerability against nature's grandeur—a hallmark of 16th-century Northern Renaissance printmaking. Cock, a pioneering Antwerp publisher and engraver, m...
About the Artist
Hieronymus Cock · 1510–1570
Hieronymus Cock, born Hieronymus Wellens de Cock in Antwerp in 1518, emerged from a distinguished artistic lineage; his father, Jan Wellens de Cock, and brother, Matthys Cock, were both accomplished painters and draftsmen. Admitted as a master painter to Antwerp's Guild of Saint Luke in 1545, he honed his skills in the vibrant Netherlandish tradition before traveling to Rome from 1546 to 1547, whe...