JACOPO DA EMPOLI
(b. 1551, Firenze, d. 1640, Firenze)

Sacrifice of Isaac

1590s
Oil on copper, 32 x 25 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

A particularly accomplished draughtsman, Empoli (actually Jacopo Chimenti) presents us here with an austere composition, one which succeeds in avoiding the least hint of sentimentalism, yet is nonetheless psychologically charged. The figures are well-constructed, well-finished and dignified, and the faces are expressive, each stricken by the enormity of the dramatic event. The landscape is simple and naturalistic, and not at all schematised.