Editing Abraham (section)

===Painting and sculpture===
[[File:Isaac sarcifice Pio Christiano Inv31648.jpg|thumb|left|16th-century plaster cast of a late Roman-era [[Sacrifice of Isaac]]. The hand of God originally came down to restrain Abraham's knife (both are now missing).]]

Paintings on the life of Abraham tend to focus on only a few incidents: the sacrifice of Isaac; meeting Melchizedek; entertaining the three angels; Hagar in the desert; and a few others.{{efn|name=Abeart}} Additionally, Martin O'Kane, a professor of Biblical Studies, writes that the parable of [[Rich man and Lazarus|Lazarus]] resting in the "[[Bosom of Abraham]]", as described in the [[Gospel of Luke]], became an iconic image in Christian works.{{sfn|Exum|2007|p=135}} According to O'Kane, artists often chose to divert from the common literary portrayal of Lazarus sitting next to Abraham at a banquet in Heaven and instead focus on the "somewhat incongruous notion of Abraham, the most venerated of patriarchs, holding a naked and vulnerable child in his bosom".{{sfn|Exum|2007|p=135}} Several artists have been inspired by the life of Abraham, including [[Albrecht Dürer]] (1471–1528), [[Caravaggio]] (1573–1610), [[Donatello]], [[Raphael]], [[Anthony van Dyck|Philip van Dyck]] (Dutch painter, 1680–1753), and [[Claude Lorrain]] (French painter, 1600–1682). [[Rembrandt]] (Dutch, 1606–1669) created at least seven works on Abraham, [[Peter Paul Rubens]] (1577–1640) did several, [[Marc Chagall]] did at least five on Abraham, Gustave Doré (French illustrator, 1832–1883) did six, and [[James Tissot]] (French painter and illustrator, 1836–1902) did over twenty works on the subject.{{efn|name=Abeart}}

The [[Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus]] depicts a set of biblical stories, including Abraham about to sacrifice Isaac. These sculpted scenes are on the outside of a marble [[Early Christian art|Early Christian]] [[sarcophagus]] used for the burial of [[Junius Bassus Theotecnius|Junius Bassus]]. He died in 359. This sarcophagus has been described as "probably the single most famous piece of early Christian relief sculpture."{{sfn|Rutgers|1993|p=}} The sarcophagus was originally placed in or under [[Old St. Peter's Basilica]], was rediscovered in 1597, and is now below the modern basilica in the Museo Storico del Tesoro della Basilica di San Pietro (Museum of [[St. Peter's Basilica]]) in the [[Vatican City|Vatican]]. The base is approximately {{convert|4|x|8|x|4|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Laurie |first=Annie |date=2012 |title=Plaster Cast of the Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus in the Vatican Museum |url=https://m.ipernity.com/#/doc/laurieannie/24820593}}</ref>

[[George Segal (artist)|George Segal]] created figural sculptures by molding plastered gauze strips over live models in his 1987 work ''Abraham's Farewell to Ishmael''. The human condition was central to his concerns, and Segal used the Old Testament as a source for his imagery. This sculpture depicts the dilemma faced by Abraham when Sarah demanded that he expel Hagar and Ishmael. In the sculpture, the father's tenderness, Sarah's rage, and Hagar's resigned acceptance portray a range of human emotions. The sculpture was donated to the Miami Art Museum after the artist's death in 2000.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110429085513/http://www.miamiartmuseum.org/collection-selected-segalgeorge.asp Abraham's Farewell to Ishmael. ''George Segal.'' Miami Art Museum. Collections: Recent Acquisitions.]. Retrieved 10 September 2014.</ref>