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After Salvator Rosa, 'An Angel appears to Hagar and Ishmael in the Desert', 17th century

About the work

This is a copy by an anonymous artist of Salvator Rosa’s original work, which is now in the Hospital de Tavera in Toledo, Spain. The picture’s subject is taken from the Old Testament Book of Genesis, which tells how the young Ishmael and his mother Hagar were banished into the desert of Beersheba by his father Abraham, with little food or water. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, wanted to prevent Ishmael from becoming her husband’s heir along with their own son, Isaac.

A silvery light illuminates the central tree with splintered branches, from behind which an angel appears to protect Hagar and Ishmael and show them water (Genesis 21: 17). The angel speaks to the troubled Hagar and points towards Ishmael, lying asleep on a rock. A water jug, soon to be replenished, hangs from a branch above him.

Key facts

Full title
An Angel appears to Hagar and Ishmael in the Desert
Artist
After Salvator Rosa
Artist dates
1615 - 1673
Date made
17th century
Medium and support
oil on canvas
Dimensions
132.7 × 95.3 cm
Acquisition credit
Bequeathed by the Misses Cohen as part of the John Samuel collection, 1906
Inventory number
NG2107
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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