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Francesco Guardi

Abraham Welcoming the Three Angels

1750s
oil on canvas
56.5 × 75.5 cm (22.2 × 29.7 in)

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● On view now — 201 French Neoclassical Painting & Sculpture

Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · verified July 2026

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FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S CATALOG

Three of the four pictures in the series depict episodes from the life of the Old Testament figure of Abraham, beginning with the angels appearing to Abraham. According to Genesis 18, Abraham met three men at midday, and, recognizing that they were angels, humbly bowed down to them with his face touching the ground. The encounter incongruously takes place before a marble, classical portico in which a woman lurks, presumably his wife Sarah.

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