Artwork
The Dismissal of Hagar
The Dismissal of Hagar is an ink drawing by the Baroque artist Unknown. It dates from 1641 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The work entitled *The Dismissal of Hagar* is a pen drawing executed in brown ink. Rendered on paper, the image depicts the biblical episode in which Hagar, the Egyptian servant of Abraham, is expelled from the household. The composition is confined to a single plane, yet the artist’s handling of line conveys a narrative moment of departure and isolation.
Subject & Meaning
The scene draws from Genesis, illustrating Hagar’s forced exile after the birth of Ishmael. By focusing on her solitary figure and the surrounding landscape, the drawing emphasizes themes of vulnerability and divine providence. The visual emphasis on her posture and the stark environment invites contemplation of exile and survival within the broader biblical context.
Technique & Style
Executed with pen and brown ink, the artist employs a loose, expressive line quality that imparts a sense of movement. Cross‑hatching builds tonal variation, creating texture and depth without reliance on shading washes. This method, typical of the period’s drawing practices, allows the figure and background to emerge through rhythmic line work, enhancing the emotional tenor of the narrative.
History & Provenance
The drawing’s date and creator remain unidentified, though its stylistic traits align with European manuscript and drawing traditions of the late Renaissance to early Baroque era. It has been held in private collections before entering its current institutional setting, where it serves as an example of narrative pen work within the museum’s drawing department.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
Communion in the Church of Saint Medard (La communion dans l'eglise St.-Medard)
Beggar Man and Woman
Tobias Healing His Father's Blindness
Gleaners
Figure Studies
The Parable of the Miller and the Donkey
Figure Studies (recto)
The Departure
The Meeting of Christ with Martha and Mary after the Death of Lazarus
Son and the Donkey
Three Oriental Figures (Jacob and Laban?)
Fishermen's Wives (Femmes de pecheurs)