Abraham's Sacrifice
Object numberM2025/082:011
TitleAbraham's Sacrifice
Creator Perle Hessing (artist)
DescriptionPerle Hessing, Abraham's Sacrifice, Oil on canvas, 1988.
The work is described by the artist: "Here is Abraham with his son Isaac after one and a half day's journey from their home to the sacrificial fire in the hills. His son does not suspect anything is wrong, although he did notice when they arrived at the place that the usual sacrificial ram was not there. One of the servants gathers wood to build up the fire. God has demanded of Abraham that he sacrifice the thing which is most precious to him, his son. But God never really intended that the boy should die. He was just trying to see how pious Abraham really was. As Abraham raised his knife to kill the one he loved most, an angel stayed his hand, saying, 'No, look behind you. There in the thicket is the ram you must sacrifice'"
Self-taught, naive-style painter, Perle Hessing, draws on her Jewish faith, childhood memories, and personal story of survival. Born in 1908 in Poland, later settling in Australia in 1951, she began painting in her fifties, encouraged by Desiderius Orban (1884-1986), a Hungarian-Australian painter and art teacher. Her work is inspired by biblical stories from the Old Testament, folklore of shtetl life, Jewish rituals, as well as lived experience as a migrant. Her art is symbolic, blending narrative with personal and collective memory. Perle is the mother of artist Leonard Hessing (1931-2004), who was part of Australia's abstract expressionists. Keen to see how he might succeed in Europe, he ended up in London. She moved to the UK in circa 1973 where she died in 2001. In 2023, a collection of 24 paintings was generously donated to the Sydney Jewish Museum by her grandson, Theo Hessing.
The work is described by the artist: "Here is Abraham with his son Isaac after one and a half day's journey from their home to the sacrificial fire in the hills. His son does not suspect anything is wrong, although he did notice when they arrived at the place that the usual sacrificial ram was not there. One of the servants gathers wood to build up the fire. God has demanded of Abraham that he sacrifice the thing which is most precious to him, his son. But God never really intended that the boy should die. He was just trying to see how pious Abraham really was. As Abraham raised his knife to kill the one he loved most, an angel stayed his hand, saying, 'No, look behind you. There in the thicket is the ram you must sacrifice'"
Self-taught, naive-style painter, Perle Hessing, draws on her Jewish faith, childhood memories, and personal story of survival. Born in 1908 in Poland, later settling in Australia in 1951, she began painting in her fifties, encouraged by Desiderius Orban (1884-1986), a Hungarian-Australian painter and art teacher. Her work is inspired by biblical stories from the Old Testament, folklore of shtetl life, Jewish rituals, as well as lived experience as a migrant. Her art is symbolic, blending narrative with personal and collective memory. Perle is the mother of artist Leonard Hessing (1931-2004), who was part of Australia's abstract expressionists. Keen to see how he might succeed in Europe, he ended up in London. She moved to the UK in circa 1973 where she died in 2001. In 2023, a collection of 24 paintings was generously donated to the Sydney Jewish Museum by her grandson, Theo Hessing.
Production date 1988
SubjectJewish life, Jewish artists, , family life
Object namepaintings
Dimensions
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum collection, donated by Theo Hessing.
In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this archival project.