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The painting in every respect embodies the essence of the high Baroque in Seville, a movement principally identified with the work of Valdés Leal's near-contemporary, Murillo. The scene is a key event in the Old Testament, in which the faith of the great Hebrew patriarch undergoes the ultimate test, and as a result of his unshakeable belief in God leads to the proliferation of his line. The artist has chosen to depict the moment of highest drama, when the angel stays the hand of Abraham who is on the point of slaying his only son.
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