CC0 · no rights reserved
Abraham Casting Out Hagar and Ishmael
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
In this drawing, the Haarlem artist Pieter de Grebber depicted the Old Testament subject of the handmaid Hagar and her son Ishmael being cast out into the wilderness by Abraham. A popular story in the Protestant Netherlands, its theme played into the society’s emphasis on charity and compassion for immigrants or outcasts. De Grebber focused the scene on Abraham’s dismissive gesture and Hagar’s tearfully wilted form, beautifully rendered with carefully shaded drapery.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineAbraham Casting Out Hagar and Ishmael, c. 1630s–50s. Pieter de Grebber (Dutch, 1590–1663). Black and white chalks on antique laid blue paper; support: 56.5 x 39.7 cm (22 1/4 x 15 5/8 in.); matted: 62.9 x 41.3 x 0.3 cm (24 3/4 x 16 1/4 x 1/8 in.); image: 43.4 x 27.8 cm (17 1/16 x 10 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 2019.3
