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Monday, November 03, 2008

Death of Sarah

Pieter de Kempeneer (also known as Pedro de Campaña) (1503-1580)
Abraham burying Sarah
Pen and ink (brown), bodycolour (white) on paper (blue)
Height: 20 cm; Width: 26.2 cm
Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery, London



The artist was a Netherlandish painter, active mainly in Seville and known by the Spanish form of his name rather than the Flemish one, Pieter de Kempeneer.

He helped to introduce the Mannerist style in Seville

He returned to Brussels in 1563, when he became a tapestry designer for the city, and he died there in 1580

Sarah died aged about 127, and was buried in the Cave of the Patriarchs near Hebron, which Abraham had purchased from Ephron the Hittite, along with the adjoining field (Genesis 23). Here Abraham himself was buried so they could be with each other forever (Gen. 25:9).

Ephron demanded an exhorbitant price of 400 pieces of silver, which Abraham paid in full. The Cave would eventually be the burial site for all three Jewish patriarchs and three of the four matriarchs—Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah.

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