ROMAN PAINTER FROM THE SECOND HALF OF THE 17TH CENTURY
Abraham and the three angels
oil on canvas, cm 130×192
Our painting belongs to the trend of landscapes with sacred scenes that developed in Rome in the early 17th century thanks to the influence of foreign painters based in the capital and mainly through the work of Annibale Carracci. Indeed, the artist painted what is considered the first landscape inspired by the poetics of the classical ideal, in which the protagonist is the “sentiment of nature” in its philosophical and literary sense.
The painting by an artist from the Roman school presented here depicts a biblical episode from the life of Abraham (Genesis 18:1–15). The scene is set in a wooded landscape, characterised by ancient Roman ruins and crossed by a small river that flows into a placid sea, traversed by three small boats, of which only the sail is visible in one case.
The only natural element that fits with the biblical account is the presence of the oak tree beneath which the meeting takes place between Abraham and the three strangers, whom he and his wife Sarah provide with excellent food and drink. The three men are actually three angels sent by God, who bring the couple the unexpected announcement of Sarah’s pregnancy at an advanced age.
The beautiful rendering of the foliage of the trees and vegetation stands out in the painting, with colour tones varying from dark green to golden brown, accentuated also by the warm light that pervades the sky. In the bottom left-hand corner, the protagonists of the story are totally immersed in this verdant scenery, as if to emphasise through nature the sense of divine mystery that imbues the entire biblical episode.