Sacrifice of Isaac
- Gallery: Room 90
- Maker: Ugo da Carpi
- Date: 1515 (circa)
- Object type: print
- Materials: paper
- Museum number: 1865,0708.97
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
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About this object
Before you is the print "Sacrifice of Isaac," a striking scene from the Old Testament. Abraham stands with a raised knife, poised over Isaac, who kneels on a funeral pyre. An angel in the top right appears ready to restrain Abraham, while the background reveals the earlier part of the story—Abraham leading a donkey, with Isaac carrying wood.
Printed by Ugo da Carpi around 1515, this woodcut was made using four separate blocks, each printed on a separate sheet that were later joined together. The scene, rich in emotion and narrative, was likely drawn by Titian, who may have inspired the design. The composition shows Renaissance influences, borrowing visual elements from artists like Dürer.
This print marks an important moment in Venetian printmaking and was published by Bernardo Benalio, who held a printing privilege for it in 1515.
See it in person
Sacrifice of Isaac is on display in Room 90 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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