Inventory Number
L2025.01.2
Artist
Anonymous
Title
The Hospitality of Abraham
Object Date
Late 14th Century
Country of Origin
Greece
Credit Line
On loan from Argie and Emmanuel Tiliakos
Provenance
Keywords
Metric Dims
23.5 x 13 cm
Medium
Egg tempera on wood, gold leaf
This small and finely painted panel was likely part of a larger composition. The subject derives from the Book of Genesis 18 where three men visit Abraham and Sarah. Abraham addresses them as Lord and orders a feast to be prepared in their honor. In this moment, the messengers announce that a son will be born to the elderly, childless couple. Early Christian theologians understood this passage as a manifestation of the Holy Trinity.
The image of three angels, seated at a table, gained prominence in the late Byzantine period and would become a favored means of representing the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—in Orthodox iconography. Painted in a refined style with thin, delicate proportions, this icon is an elegant example of late Byzantine painting.