Capital . The Sacrafice of Isaac
Capital
ca. 1150 (made)
ca. 1150 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Isaac is shown being led to the altar on an ass, just as an angel instructs his father Abraham to sacrifice a ram instead. Abraham’s unquestioning obedience to God was understood to prefigure Christ’s sacrifice at the Crucifixion.
Object details
| Object type | |
| Title | Capital . The Sacrafice of Isaac (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | limestone |
| Brief description | Capital, limestone, depicting the sacrifice of Isaac, France, about 1150. |
| Physical description | Limestone capital depicting the sacrifice of Isaac. On one side, Isaac on an ass, with the angel flying in front of him and leading him by the hand. Abraham follows behind. The story continues on the next two sides, with Isaac on the altar, his hair held by Abraham, whose right hand is restrained by an angel. Below the angel is the ram. The condition of the capital is fair. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Mr William Royall Tyler in memory of the friendship between his father Royall Tyler and Sir Eric Maclagan, Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum |
| Object history | Given by William Royall Tyler, 1968 ; previously lent to the museum (since 1932) by his father Royall Tyler, who had bought it at the Godfrey Brauer Sale (Christie's, London, 5 July 1929, lot 245: described as "Italian 15th century". |
| Historical context | The capital is most closely comparable with a capital in the Musee des Beaux-Arts at Soissons (from the cloister of the abbey of saint-medard at Soissons) and the baptismal font from the abbey of Saint-Larme at Selincourt (Somme), now in the Musee de Picardie at Amiens (Chefs-d'oeuvre romans de musee de province, Musee du Louvre, Paris 22 November 1957 - 24 March 1958 catalogue nos. 85 and 95) . The Soissons capital, of around 1150, also shows the sacrifice of Isaac (with a similar composition to the present capital) and the carving of certain details such as the ram and the facial types suggests that both capitals were produced in the same region. The story of Abraham, the first of the great Hebrew patriarchs of the Old Testament is contained in the Book of Genesis, 11:26 to 25:18.Called by God. He is portrayed with white hair and a flowing beard and his attribute is the knife with which he intended to sacrifice Isaac. To test Abraham's faith God commanded him to make a burnt offering of his son, Isaac. They went to the place of sacrifice Abraham on an ass and Isaac carrying wood for the altar fire. Abraham bound Isaac, laid him on the altar and drew his knife, at which point an angel appeared and stayed Abraham's hand. God recognises Abraham as a God-fearing man as he had not withheld his son. On looking up, Abraham saw a ram caught in a thorny thicket, which he then sacrificed instead. This subject occupies a central place in medieval typology - in which it was considered to prefigure the Crucifixion and God's sacrifice of Christ. Isaac carries the wood as Christ carried the cross, the ram came to represent Christ, the thicket the crown of thorns. According to Muslim tradition, Abraham's sacrifice took place on the site of the Mosque of Omar (The Dome of the Rock) Jerusalem. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Literary reference | Genesis 22:1-19 1: And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2: And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 3: And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4: Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5: And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you, 6: And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7: And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8: And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9: And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10: And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11: And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12: And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13: And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14: And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. 15: And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16: And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18: And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. 19: So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba. Genesis 22: 1-19, from The Holy Bible, King James version Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library |
| Summary | Isaac is shown being led to the altar on an ass, just as an angel instructs his father Abraham to sacrifice a ram instead. Abraham’s unquestioning obedience to God was understood to prefigure Christ’s sacrifice at the Crucifixion. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.6-1968 |
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| Record created | November 23, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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