The artwork titled “Sacrifice of Isaac” was crafted by Caravaggio around the year 1598. This piece, rendered in oil on canvas, falls squarely within the Baroque and Tenebrism movements. Measuring 116 by 173 cm, it is a religious painting that resides in the Barbara Piasecka-Johnson Collection at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
The artwork depicts a biblical scene in dramatic fashion, employing the stark contrasts of light and shadow characteristic of Tenebrism to highlight the emotional intensity of the moment. At the center of the composition, an elderly figure garbed in vibrant attire holds a knife, poised in the act of a religious sacrifice. The younger figure, presumably Isaac, looks up in a mixture of fear and resignation, his bare form illuminated by the intense light. To the left, an angel intervenes, grabbing the elder’s hand to halt the act. A ram, symbolizing the provided sacrifice, is also depicted in the composition. The use of light and shadow not only underscores the gravity of the scene but also draws the viewer’s eye to the psychological depth of the characters involved.
