Marc Chagall, Abraham Weeping for Sarah, Etching and drypoint with hand-coloring on paper, 1958
Artist/Maker:
Marc Chagall
Bio:
French, b. Belarus, 1887-1985
Publisher:
Tériade
Bio:
Paris
Title:
Abraham Weeping for Sarah
Portfolio/Series:
The Bible
Date:
1958
Medium:
Etching and drypoint with hand-coloring on paper
Dimensions:
Sheet: 21 × 15 3/8 in. (53.3 × 39.1 cm) Image: 11 3/8 × 9 3/8 in. (28.9 × 23.8 cm)
Credit Line:
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Henry Dolger
Accession Number:
1996-21
Copyright:
© 2014 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Not On View

Sarah's lifetime -- the span of Sarah's life -- came to one hundred and twenty-seven years. Sarah died in Kiriath-arba -- now Hebron -- in the land of Canaan; and Abraham proceeded to mourn for Sarah and to bewail her. (Genesis, XXIII, 1-2)
Chagall evokes Abraham's profound grief in this simple yet monumental composition. With bowed head and covered face, Abraham's bereavement is discrete and contained in his massive solidity. Sarah is laid out horizontally before him, her insubstantial body emanating an ethereal light. The weight of Abraham's loneliness is accentuated by the jagged darkness pressing down on his shoulders.

Information may change as a result of ongoing research.

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