Abraham Casting Out Hagar and Ishmael

In this drawing, the Haarlem artist Pieter de Grebber depicted the Old Testament subject of the handmaid Hagar and her son Ishmael being cast out into the wilderness by Abraham. A popular story in the Protestant Netherlands, its theme played into the society’s emphasis on charity and compassion for immigrants or outcasts. De Grebber focused the scene on Abraham’s dismissive gesture and Hagar’s tearfully wilted form, beautifully rendered with carefully shaded drapery.