Abraham empfängt die drei Engel 

Gaspare Diziani made this pen and brown ink drawing, "Abraham Receives the Three Angels," sometime between 1689 and 1767. It depicts a scene from the Book of Genesis in which Abraham is visited by three strangers who turn out to be angels. Diziani, a Venetian painter, worked during a period when the city-state was declining as a major power. He worked for wealthy patrons and religious institutions. His artistic training would have taken place within a studio and academy system of 18th century Venice. This highly structured system reinforced the importance of history painting and religious subjects, and also instilled a strong sense of hierarchy within artistic practice. Here, Diziani's fluid draftsmanship suggests both the divine nature of the visitors and the humility of Abraham. To understand Diziani's world, we can consult archival records, period writings about art, and the biographies of his patrons. In doing so, we can see how social and institutional contexts shape artistic production.