Abraham Casting Out Hagar and Ishmael

Abraham Casting Out Hagar and Ishmael by Rembrandt van Rijn, created in 1637, depicts a powerful and sorrowful moment from Genesis 21, capturing Abraham’s painful compliance with Sarah’s demand to banish his concubine Hagar and their son Ishmael. This piece exemplifies the dramatic and deeply humanistic approach Rijn brought to Biblical subjects throughout his career.

As a significant example of 17th-century Dutch artistic output, this work belongs firmly within the period of 1601 to 1650, often referred to as the Dutch Golden Age. Rijn executed this image using the challenging intaglio technique of etching, enhanced with the velvety, dense lines characteristic of drypoint. This combination allowed the artist to achieve rich textural variation, emphasizing the heavy drapery of Hagar and the nuanced light falling across Abraham’s aged face.

The technical brilliance demonstrated in these original prints reveals Rijn’s evolving mastery of graphic arts. He employs strong contrasts of light and shadow, using dense cross-hatching to emphasize the deep emotional isolation of the figures. Rijn was known for translating complex psychological states into visual form; here, Hagar is shown departing in despair, burdened by the meager provisions, while Abraham appears tormented, turning away from the painful necessity of the expulsion.

This particular impression is classified as a print and resides within the distinguished collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The enduring importance of Rijn’s contribution to printmaking ensures that these masterworks remain central to art historical study. Due to their historical significance, many high-quality reproductions of these early Dutch prints are widely circulated in the public domain, providing crucial access to Rijn’s profound interpretations of scripture.