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Return of Hagar
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Italian artist Pietro da Cortona painted this Baroque biblical scene in 1637. Hagar, the Egyptian servant of Sarah, stands before Abraham pleading to return after her earlier banishment. An angel hovers above, touching her head in support. In the background, Sarah watches from a window with barely concealed disdain.
The composition captures the emotional complexity of the story from Genesis. Abraham's open arms suggest welcome, while Sarah's presence hints at continuing tensions. Cortona painted a larger version now in the Pushkin Museum, Moscow; this variant, with the composition reversed, came from the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. Cortona was equally accomplished as an architect and fresco painter, designing the facade of Santa Maria della Pace in Rome. The work measures 123.5 x 99 cm, oil on canvas, and hangs at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
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About Return of Hagar
The scene shows Hagar returning to Abraham after her banishment. Sarah, Abraham's wife, watches from a window as an angel supports Hagar's plea.
This version hangs at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. A larger version with reversed composition is at the Pushkin Museum, Moscow.
Pietro da Cortona painted this in 1637. He was a leading Baroque artist known for ceiling frescoes and architectural designs.
Abraham's open arms suggest welcome, but Sarah watches from a window with visible disdain. The angel touching Hagar's head adds divine validation to the tense domestic scene.
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