The Sacrifice of Isaac, oil on canvas, 122 x 146 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private collection, Vienna

We are grateful to Professor Wolfgang Prohaska for suggesting the attribution to Cavarozzi after examining the present painting in the original.

Cavarozzi spent his formative years in Rome where he entered the workshop of Tarquinio Ligustri, who was also from Viterbo. Through Ligustri, Cavarozzi came into contact with the important Roman aristocratic family of the Crescenzi. He stayed in their palace near the Pantheon, which at that time was an important artistic centre. His friendship with Giovanni Battista Crescenzi earned him the name “Bartolomeo del Crescenzi”.

Cavarozzi’s early works display the late Mannerist influence of Cristofano Roncalli, who also taught Giovanni Battista Crescenzi and his brothers. But Caravaggio’s impact is reflected in his works from 1610 onwards and became even stronger in his later works. In 1617, Cavarozzi accompanied Giovanni Battista Crescenzi on a journey to Madrid, thereby facilitating the spread of Caravaggism in Spain. The artist returned to Rome in 1619.

Professor Prohaska suggests that the present composition was painted shortly before Cavarozzi’s departure for Madrid, around the same time as his Saint Jerome with Two Angels, 1617, Palazzo Pitti, Florence (see M. v. Bernstorff, Agent und Maler als Akteure im Kunstbetrieb des frühen 17. Jahrhunderts. Giovanni Battista Crescenzi und Bartolomeo Cavarozzi, Munich 2010). The present work displays the strong influence of Caravaggio together with Cavarozzi’s distinctive lyrical style. The focus of the compostion is not so much on the dramatic suspense of the biblical scene, but rather on the meticulously rendered surface textures and the representation of a dialogue between Abraham and the angel. The figures appear graceful yet restrained, and their gestures are emphasized through the use of light.