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Lay Not Thine Hand Upon the Lad

SERIES

Heritage: The Hebrew Bible Series

YEAR

2024 – 2026

MEDIUM

Carved wood and cast-epoxy, selectively clad in gold metallic leaves

DIMENSIONS

153 × 172 cm (60.2 × 67.7 in)

“And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.”

Genesis 22:12

Price$142,000

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Lay Not Thine Hand Upon the Lad, carved wood relief with gold metallic leaf

About

This Work

Lay Not Thine Hand Upon the Lad. Gerard Hoet and others, 1728.

This is the moment the test ends. The knife is raised. The angel speaks. The ram appears in the thicket. In the nearly four millennia since, every parent who has feared for a child, and every believer who has wondered whether faith requires the impossible, has returned to this story. Amnon Moalem’s carved wood work captures the instant of reprieve — and in doing so, captures something essential about the nature of the divine relationship.

Art Built to Last for Centuries

Wood Carving

In the carved wooden works, the initial preparation may involve CNC technology to establish the primary structure and composition. Amnon then continues through extensive manual carving, refinement, and surface work. The balance between technological preparation and handwork varies according to the scale, subject, and requirements of each piece.

Cast-Epoxy

Epoxy resin is used in selected works as an independent material or in combination with carved wood. Its role differs from one piece to another and may include structural, visual, translucent, or surface-related functions.

Gold, Silver & Copper Leaves

The gilding stage is the final and most demanding phase. Metallic leaves, 24 Karat gold, silver, and copper, are applied by hand, sheet by sheet, to the finished surface. The technique is ancient, used for centuries to adorn relics, altarpieces, and sacred objects. In Amnon's work it serves the same purpose: to signal that what you are looking at is not ordinary.

How a Monumental

Work Is Made

Source, Research & Interpretation

Most works begin with a close study of a well-known artwork or engraving. Amnon develops a personal interpretation through material, technique, scale, composition, and surface treatment.

Planning & Digital Preparation

The composition, scale, and proportions are prepared for production. In carved wooden works, this stage may include CNC-assisted preparation before the manual carving process begins.

Manual Carving & Refinement

Following the initial preparation, Amnon performs extensive manual carving and refinement, developing the surfaces, forms, and details of the work.

Casting & Integration

In works that include cast-epoxy, the cast elements are produced and integrated according to the specific material and compositional requirements of the piece.

Surface Preparation

The combined structure is prepared for gilding: smoothed, sealed, and given a base that will hold the metallic leaves.

Gilding

Gold, silver, and copper leaves are applied by hand, one sheet at a time. A large-scale work can require weeks of gilding alone.

Documentation

Each completed work is photographed professionally, measured precisely, and documented for the collector’s record.

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