Hagar in the Desert Consoled by an Angel
The poignant story of Hagar and Ishmael is related in the Book of Genesis, chapter 21. At the age of 90, Abraham’s wife Sarah, who had previously been barren, gave birth to a son, Isaac, as God had promised. However, Abraham already had an illegitimate son with his concubine Hagar. To prevent the boy, Ishmael, from challenging Isaac’s inheritance, Abraham banished mother and child, sending them alone into the wilderness with only bread and a bottle of water.
Jan Muller shows Hagar and Ishmael at their moment of greatest danger and drama. Having run out of water, they have taken shelter under a clump of trees. Ishmael is stretched out on the ground at the left, near death, while Hagar turns away, unable to watch him, when an angel suddenly appears. He touches Hagar on the shoulder and with his other hand points to a flowing stream, just visible in the lower right corner, where they can get water.
Muller was one of the most sought-after Mannerist printmakers, engraving the compositions of the leading artists of his day. Hagar in the Desert is one of the relatively few prints based on his own design. In it his bravura engraving technique, with its extreme swelling and tapering lines is on full display, particularly evident in the swirling and knotted bark of the tree trunks and the drapery. The figures themselves– Hagar’s remarkably well-muscled body, Ishmael’s foreshortened pose, and the angel’s flowing robes and languid gesture – typify Northern Mannerism at its height.
Jan Muller shows Hagar and Ishmael at their moment of greatest danger and drama. Having run out of water, they have taken shelter under a clump of trees. Ishmael is stretched out on the ground at the left, near death, while Hagar turns away, unable to watch him, when an angel suddenly appears. He touches Hagar on the shoulder and with his other hand points to a flowing stream, just visible in the lower right corner, where they can get water.
Muller was one of the most sought-after Mannerist printmakers, engraving the compositions of the leading artists of his day. Hagar in the Desert is one of the relatively few prints based on his own design. In it his bravura engraving technique, with its extreme swelling and tapering lines is on full display, particularly evident in the swirling and knotted bark of the tree trunks and the drapery. The figures themselves– Hagar’s remarkably well-muscled body, Ishmael’s foreshortened pose, and the angel’s flowing robes and languid gesture – typify Northern Mannerism at its height.
Artwork Details
- Title: Hagar in the Desert Consoled by an Angel
- Artist: Jan Muller (Netherlandish, Amsterdam 1571–1628 Amsterdam)
- Publisher: Harmen Jansz. Muller (Netherlandish, Amsterdam ca. 1540–1617 Amsterdam)
- Date: ca. 1591
- Medium: Engraving; third state of three
- Dimensions: 6 13/16 × 8 1/4 in. (17.3 × 21 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951
- Object Number: 51.501.6355
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Jan Muller
Lucas van Leyden
n.d.
Jan Muller
Harmen Jansz. Muller
1593
Jan Muller
Harmen Jansz. Muller
ca. 1600
Jan Muller
Harmen Jansz. Muller
1591
Multiple artists/makers
1597
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.