Abraham's Sacrifice of Isaac, from Landscapes with Old and New Testament Scenes and Hunting Scenes

Remarkable in its delicacy of execution, Hans Bol’s design for the print of the same subject exceeded the needs of the collaborating printmaker. In addition to the clearly articulated compositional elements, Bol introduced a differentiated color scheme. Tones of brown wash add volume to the animals in the ornamental frame while a gray-scale dominates the central scene. This use of color did not translate to the single-ink color of the related engraving, suggesting that Bol made his preparatory drawing to fulfill his artistic ideals as draftsman, regardless of practical function.