Abraham Sacrificing Isaac

Abraham Sacrificing Isaac is finely drawn in graphite and appears to be a preparatory drawing for an 18th-century German book illustration. Below the image is a partly illegible four-line inscription. The sweet-faced angel gently restrains the distraught father and points heavenward. Throughout the drawing, one observes firm but delicate outlines and finely modulated shading that beautifully captures the softly raking early-morning light. The ram is seen caught in the brambles to the left, and a mountainous landscape extends into the distance.