Sacrifice of Isaac

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, affluent young women in England and its American colonies studied the intricacies of fancy needlework. Their elaborately detailed compositions, often based on prints, frequently depicted Old Testament themes of piety and submission to the will of God. The subject of Abraham preparing to sacrifice his son Isaac upon God’s command (Genesis 22:9–13) was very popular in 17th-century needlework. This particular image of devotion is based on an engraving after Maarten de Vos’s Sacrifice of Isaac that was published by Gerard de Jode in Thesaurus sacrarum historiarum Veteris Testamenti (Treasury of sacred events from the Old Testament; 1585), a source for many needlework designs in the following century. The engraving and needlework composition depict the same narrative, with the angel staying Abraham’s hand, preventing him from slaying his son. However, the lake at the left of the composition, with its exotic flora and fauna, was added to the needlework version. Like the array of beasts, insects, and blossoms in the borders that surround the central panel, these additions symbolize the abundance of the natural world.