Scenes from the Life of Abraham

Scenes from the life of Abraham is based on an engraving in Gerard de Jode’s Thesaurus sacrarum historiarum Veteris Testamenti (Treasury of sacred events from the Old Testament; 1585). While more explicit in its details, the engraving portrays the same scenes as the 17th-century needlework composition. As with the Sacrifice of Isaac, the themes of this Old Testament story are faith and man’s submission to the will of God. According to the biblical narrative, before giving birth to Isaac, Abraham’s wife Sarah thought she was barren. To ensure that her husband had heirs, she encouraged him to conceive a child with her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar. Hagar bore Abraham a son named Ishmael. Sarah subsequently saw Ishmael as a threat to her son and toldAbraham to cast Hagar and Ishmael off into the wilderness. He did, and just as Ishmael was about to die of thirst, the angel of God showed them a well (Genesis 21:9–19). Three pivotal moments in the narrative are portrayed in this needlework composition: Sarah holding Isaac’s hand and telling Abraham to cast Hagar out; Abraham sending Hagar and Ishmael into the wilderness; and the angel directing the prayerful Hagar and fast-fading Ishmael to water. The landscape is full of plants, flowers, birds, and insects, indicating the bounty of nature.