Landscape with Abraham and the Three Angels in the Valley of Mambre 1797

Joseph Anton Koch rendered this drawing, Landscape with Abraham and the Three Angels in the Valley of Mambre, with pen and brown ink and wash over graphite. The image depicts a scene from Genesis in which Abraham is visited by three angels who foretell the birth of his son, Isaac. Koch was a key figure in the transformation of landscape painting in the late 18th and early 19th centuries in central Europe. Landscape painting was closely associated with national and religious identity. Abraham, kneeling before the messengers of God, occupies only a small portion of the composition, while the monumental oak tree behind them dominates the scene. Koch’s image is concerned with a divine blessing on the German people. Koch lived in Rome for most of his working life, associating with other German artists as well as archaeologists and art historians, who were re-evaluating classical art, history and mythology. The image reflects the artist’s deep knowledge of the Bible, which can be researched through a study of period literature and the history of religious thought. Such research sheds light on the significance of art as part of a wider cultural landscape.