DOMENICHINO
(b. 1581, Bologna, d. 1641, Napoli)

The Sacrifice of Isaac

1627-28
Oil on canvas, 147 x 140 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid

The Carracci influenced numerous followers especially in Bologna. Domenichino was one of them, a prolific decorator. This painting was executed for the pictorial decoration of the so-called New Room (Salón Nuevo) of the Alcázar in Madrid, an imposing gallery in the southern wing reserved for important occasions of state. The New Room underwent periodic changes of decoration during Philip IV's reign.