The Sacrifice of Gideon
1648
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
About the artist
Artist
Ferdinand Bol
Ferdinand Bol (24 June 1616 - 24 August 1680) was a Dutch painter, etcher and draftsman.
See the richer artist page1648
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Sacrifice of Gideon is a 1648 ink by Ferdinand Bol, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This image shows a dramatic scene in black and white. An angel with wings stands over a sleeping man, who is curled up under a blanket. The angel’s arms are outstretched, as if holding something or pointing upward. The background is dark and full of tangled lines, making the figures stand out sharply. The artist used fine, scratchy lines to create texture—notice how the blanket and trees look almost woven from strokes. This style is typical of etchings, where ink is pushed into a metal plate to make prints. Next, look up technique: etching, drypoint, aquatint to see how these methods work.
Ferdinand Bol (24 June 1616 - 24 August 1680) was a Dutch painter, etcher and draftsman.
See the richer artist page
