Skip to main content
, Italian, 1634-1689
Title
The Expulsion of Hagar
Date1669-1689
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
136 x 97 cm
Credit LineMilltown Gift, 1902
Object numberNGI.1670
Label TextRoman painter Ferri has exercised artistic license with this story from the Old Testament. Sarah and her husband Abraham were 90 and 100 years old respectively, when God blessed them with a son, Isaac. Abraham already had a teenage son, Ishmael, with their Egyptian servant, Hagar. Sarah did not want Ishmael to benefit from inheritance, so she instructed Abraham to banish Hagar and Ishmael. Ferri depicted Abraham and Sarah (who watches the eviction from an upstairs window) as relatively youthful. Ishmael is shown as a young child, perhaps to evoke the viewer’s sympathy for the abandoned mother and son.

This website uses cookies

We use optional cookies to enhance your user experience and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services.

Details

About Cookies

Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user's experience more efficient. The law states that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary for the operation of this site. For all other types of cookies we need your permission. This site uses different types of cookies. Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages. You can at any time change or withdraw your consent from the Cookie Declaration on our website. Learn more about who we are, how you can contact us and how we process personal data in our Privacy Policy. Please state your consent ID and date when you contact us regarding your consent.

Necessary Cookies

Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. The website cannot function properly without these cookies.

Name Provider Purpose Expiry Type
JSESSIONID eMuseum User Session Session HTTP

Statistics Cookies

Statistic cookies help website owners to understand how visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information anonymously.

Name Provider Purpose Expiry Type
_ga Google Tag Manager Registers a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website. 2 years JavaScript
_gid Google Tag Manager Registers a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website. 1 day JavaScript
Allow only necessary Allow all