Who made this?
There is a lot of uncertainty about who made the Sacrifice of Isaac, but a lot of evidence points towards the Islamic Mamluks. The Mamluks were originally slaves in Muslims states. In 1250 the Mamluks established a continuation of Ayyubid rule in Egypt and the Levant and they prevented a Mongol takeover in the near east. They became the upholders of Muslim orthodoxy in the Muslim world and confirmed and extended Egyptian dominance of the Near East.
Features of Mamluk 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. Though the Mamluks were more known for their metal work, they created a small amount of wood pieces during their rule. The Panel with Horse Heads is a panel from the Metropolitan Museum of Art that was also made in Egypt and presumed to be from the eleventh century. Panels similar to this one are said to have been displayed in Mamluk buildings as well as Fatimid buildings as parts of a door. This piece is said to be made by the Fatimids, an Islamic group who ruled in Cairo before the Mamluks. They were known for woodworking techniques shown in this piece that the Mamluks also adopted in their wood carvings. This includes the high and low relief technique and the floral arabesque seen in both the Sacrifice of Isaac and the Panel with Horse Heads.