Where Is Return of Hagar? See It at Kunsthistorisches Museum

Q: What biblical story does the painting depict?

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.

Q: Where can I see Return of Hagar?

This version hangs at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. A larger version with reversed composition is at the Pushkin Museum, Moscow.

Q: Who painted Return of Hagar?

Pietro da Cortona painted this in 1637. He was a leading Baroque artist known for ceiling frescoes and architectural designs.

Q: What makes the composition emotionally complex?

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.

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.

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.

Return of Hagar

Where to See It

The Artist

More by Pietro da Cortona

Pope Urbanus VIII (Maffeo Barberini)

The Triumph of Divine Providence

Study for the Age of Silver

The Golden Age

Also at Kunsthistorisches Museum

Crucifixion

Portrait of a young man in red garment

Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror

Christ Child with a Walking Frame

About Return of Hagar

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