Abraham Casting Out Hagar and Ishmael, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1637
etching, h 126mm × w 95mm More details
Before Abraham and Sarah had their own child, Isaac, at a very advanced age, Abraham had already fathered a son with Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian servant. After Isaac’s birth, Sarah insisted that Abraham cast out Hagar and her son, Ishmael. Abraham reluctantly agreed. Rembrandt injects the scene with drama. At the right, the distraught, tearful Hagar is being sent away. At the left, Sarah leans out the window, laughing out loud.
