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Bringing the Holy Land Home: The Crusades, Chertsey Abbey, and the Reconstruction of a Medieval Masterpiece

DO BZ.1941.7 Sacrifice of Isaac

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What is this?
By Anne le Gassick '24

This wooden relief carving shows the event known as the "Sacrifice of Isaac." This piece is a visual translation of the verse “the ram is caught in a thicket by his horns” from Genesis 22 in the Christian Old Testament. The Christian Old Testament is drawn from the Hebrew Bible and these texts are also important in Islam.

The relief depicts the moment when Abraham hears the voice of an angel as he is about to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Abraham holds a knife in the center of the piece and turns to look at the winged angel, who gestures towards the ram caught in a tree. In the upper right appears a cloud formation with the hand of God blessing the event. Abraham’s body turns in a way that shows that he was looking at his son Isaac, but then his head has turned to look at the angel. The altar, with Isaac and his vulnerable body, serves as the still center of the piece with these other things happening around it.
Abraham has an oval halo around his head. He is wearing an elaborate headdress, a tall crown wrapped in cloth that hangs loosely at the back, a robe tied by a sash, and high boots. Isaac is dressed in a loincloth. He lies with his back on the altar with the knife held at his throat. The background consists of a large floral scroll, composed of split leaves, lotus buds, blossoms, and an oversized palmette. The piece is enclosed by several frames. The outer three are adorned with chevron motifs.
Sacrifice of Isaac (DO BZ.1941.7) By Anne le Gassick '24

This small wooden relief carving shows the biblical story of the Sacrifice of Isaac, specifically the moment when Abraham is told to call off the sacrifice, as he had already proven his devotion to God through his willingness to sacrifice even his own son for the Lord. This piece is an example of Islamic art made in Egypt. Although made under Islamic rule, this relief shows a religious scene that transcended religious strife, being an important moment in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim doctrine. It may have been made for a Christian church in Cairo, Egypt.
How was this made? By Anne le Gassick '24
The piece is carved in two planes, high and low relief. The primary elements are Abraham, Isaac, the altar, the angel, tree, ram, the cloud, and the hand of God. They are all executed in high relief, meaning that the design is strongly projected from the background. The floral motif is carved in low relief. The large palm in the upper center moves from background into foreground linking the two planes. Palm leaves were a sign of the journey to Jerusalem, where the sacrifice of Isaac took place.
The wood was originally covered with gesso and gilded. Gesso is a mix of animal glue and chalk, and it provides a smooth surface onto which gold leaf is applied. Remains of gold leaf can be seen on the most important parts of the image: the altar, Abraham's halo and robe, the ram, and the angel.
The small, portable tools used to create this wooden relief would have been easy to lose. Many ivory relief carvings from the same time period contain similar carving strategies and features to the Sacrifice of Isaac. These similar ivory carvings were made using small tools such as axes, chisels, and adzes. These tools could have also been used to create carvings made out of wood.

The Morgan Casket, displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is an ivory relief box made between the 11th and 12th centuries in southern Italy that is reminiscent of art from the Fatimids, an Islamic community. While the Sacrifice of Isaac is one panel separated from others, the Morgan Casket joins together nine different panels. It can also be compared to the Sacrifice of Isaac by looking at its high and low relief components and its incorporation of figural patterns.
Who made this? By Anne le Gassick '24
This relief was carved in Muslim-ruled Egypt, probably for display in a Christian church, by an artist of unknown faith in the early 1200s.
Features of Egyptian art represented in this piece are the design on Abraham’s robe, the beaded strips at the hem and upper arm, the tree with the articulated trunk, the floral scroll, and the bud shaped branches. The Panel with Horse Heads from the Metropolitan Museum of Art was also made in Egypt more than a century before the relief, in the eleventh century. Panels similar to this one are said to have been displayed in Fatimid, Ayyubid, and Mamluk buildings in Egypt, often as parts of a door. The Fatimids were known for their woodworking, including the high and low relief technique and the floral motifs seen in both the Sacrifice of Isaac and the Panel with Horse Heads.
Why was this made, and how was it used?
By Anne le Gassick '24

This small wooden carving was probably made to be most part of an altar screen that contained representations of a series of biblical stories. There are 3 mortises on the sides and nail holes on the upper and lower edges that point to the piece being a part of a larger panel. An altar screen is a partition that is usually decorated that separates the nave from a chancel in a church. There are many examples of Byzantine and Gothic altar screens.
The scene itself has an importance across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam because they are all Abrahamic religions. Abraham was known as their first prophet and this scene has importance because it represents an act out of faith in God. Abraham, believing that God wants him to kill his son, decides that he is willing to sacrifice his own son if it means that he can prove his faith in God. This piece is an example of art made in a land ruled by an Islamic dynasty, by an artist of unknown faith, for display in a Christian church.
Where was this produced? By Anne le Gassick '24

The Sacrifice of Isaac was produced in Cairo, Egypt, a center for art and craftspeople. It was a cosmopolitan city that traded many spices and luxuries across the Mediterranean. Cairo traded with Italian city states and with populations along the Red Sea, India, southeast Asia, and southern Russia. The Sacrifice of Isaac was one of of the many portable pieces of art that could have been traded or gifted to different religious groups across the Mediterranean who all found meaning in the scene that it represented.
Where did this go? By Anne le Gassick '24
This carving is said to be from the Church of Abu Serga in Old Cairo, Egypt. In 13th century Egypt, although the rulers were Muslim, there were still a number of Christians living and worshiping there, and they continued to commission artwork for devotional purposes. The Church of Abu Serga was very old; it was originally built in the fourth century and witnessed the long history of Christianity in Egypt. This church was said to have been built on the spot where Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus rested at the end of their journey into Egypt.
When was this made?
By Anne le Gassick '24

This piece was most likely made in the early 13th century. The artistic detail of Abraham stepping out of the picture plane with one foot placed over the frame is a known tactic from around this time period. The floral scroll in the background of the piece is also a common style from that time.

The early years of the 13th century coincide with the Fourth Crusade, which took Byzantine Constantinople in 1204, and is slightly later than the Third Crusade, in which Richard the Lionheart and Saladin fought. Saladin was the ruler of Egypt until 1193, so Saladin died about a decade before this relief was carved.
What does this tell us about the Crusades? By Anne le Gassick '24
The Sacrifice of Isaac depicts a text that is part of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religion. Once Abraham is prepared to kill his son, his faith and devotion to God is proven. This scene is particularly relevant to the Crusades because of the inspiration from God that these three religions had. Their fight for the Holy Land was out of devotion and faith to God and it was what they believed God wanted them to do.