Sarah Leading Hagar to Abraham

1673

Caspar Netscher(Prague or Heidelberg ca. 1639 – 1684 TheHague)

oil on canvas
59.5 x 50.5 cm
signed and dated in light paint along upperedge, right of center: “CNetfcher. fecit 1673.”
CN-106
Currently on view at: The National Museum ofChina, Beijing© 2017 The Leiden Collection

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How To Cite
Wieseman, Marjorie E. "Sarah Leading Hagar to Abraham." In The Leiden Collection Catalogue. Edited byArthur K. Wheelock Jr. New York, 2017.
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© 2017 The Leiden Collection

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After many years of marriage, the biblical patriarch Abraham and his wife,[1]Sarah, were unable to conceive a child.

Comparative Figures

In the hope that they might yet

beget an heir, Sarah suggested that Abraham try to have a child with her
beautiful, young Egyptian maid Hagar. Hagar became pregnant and gavebirth to a son, Ishmael, when Abraham was eighty-six years old. When,several years later, Sarah eventually became pregnant and had a son,
Isaac, household relations soured. Ishmael began to tease his younger halfbrother, leading Sarah to insist that Abraham banish Hagar and Ishmael
from the family home; the latter were forced to wander in the desert.
Sarah Leading Hagar to Abraham is one of only two biblical subjects
painted by Caspar Netscher (the other is Bathsheba, dated 1667).[2] The
subject is not only an unusual choice for Netscher, but is generally quite

Fig 1. Caspar Netscher, MusicalCompany, 1665, oil on panel, 44 x
36 cm, Mauritshuis, The Hague,inv. 125

rare in seventeenth-century Dutch art.[3] By contrast, other episodes fromthe Old Testament story of Hagar were fairly common. The Dismissal ofHagar, when Abraham is later forced to expel the Egyptian concubine andhis first-born son, was treated on numerous occasions by Pieter Lastman(1583–1633) and his contemporaries, by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–69),
and by artists of the Rembrandt school.[4] The appeal of that particular
episode lay largely in the complex web of emotions it presented for bothartist and audience: Abraham rendered indecisive by conflicting
loyalties—faithful to his wife Sarah yet feeling compassion for Hagar andIshmael; and Hagar, sorrowful, bereft, and fearful of what the future mighthold for herself and her young son. In its contrasting of the comforts of thehome with the harsh uncertainties of the desert wilderness, the story
served a moralizing purpose as well, reinforcing the primacy of the nuclear
family and the importance of maintaining domestic order.[5]For artists, however, depicting the moment when the aged Sarah
introduces her maidservant to her husband with the proposal that heimpregnate her in order to fulfill God’s will, offered quite a different set ofinterpretive possibilities. Rather than exploring wrenching emotions andcomplex familial relationships, artists appear to have been attracted
primarily to the story’s salacious aspects; many used it as an opportunity
to depict a partially clad or nude young woman in an acceptable historicalcontext. The sixteenth-century German printmakers Hans Sebald Beham(1500–50) and Georg Pencz (1500–50) made engravings of the subject,which may in turn have influenced Crispijn de Passe the Elder’s engraved
illustration for the 1616 edition of the Liber Genesis, a widely circulated© 2017 The Leiden Collection

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book of biblical prints. Not until the late 1630s did the subject appear inpaintings: three works by the Caravaggesque painter Matthias Stom (ca.
1600–after 1652) highlight the stark contrast between youth and old age,and, with Sarah cast as the aged procuress, Abraham as the client, andHagar as the compliant prostitute, present a Biblical take on theperennially popular Dutch genre theme of mercenary love.[6]Netscher’s Sarah Leading Hagar to Abraham appears to be the first
rendering of the subject in Dutch art for more than two decades, and takes
the story in a rather different direction. Like Stom, Netscher’s depiction is
influenced by contemporary genre paintings, but rather than looking tobold Caravaggesque scenes of prostitutes, procuresses and their lusty
clients, Netscher’s painting fits comfortably in the rarified world of his own
elegantly appointed portraits and domestic interiors. Compare, forexample, the highly decorative effect of the lush Portrait of Caspar Ingels
and Maria Christina Bartolotti van den Heuvel , 1672, or a genteel genre
scene such as Musical Company of 1665 (fig 1).[7]Traces of the forbidden sensuality and questionable morality thatcharacterize Stom’s dramatic depictions of Sarah, Hagar and Abraham
still linger in Netscher’s painting, though they are far more discreetly
packaged. Perhaps taking his cue from the Bible, which states that
Abraham “was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold” (Genesis 13:2),
Netscher envelops the figures in luxury: shimmering bed curtains, a
massive gold ewer and shallow basin, plush carpets on the table and floor,
and fine silk and velvet garments for the figures themselves. Sarah is nolonger a haggard crone with clear links to the stereotypical image of theprocuress, but a dignified and mature woman, an image more in keepingwith her status as the mother of the Jewish nation. Hagar, posed frontallyand gazing directly at the viewer, appears oddly disconnected from thetransaction that soon dramatically alters her life. Indeed, her attention
seems focused entirely on the viewer.
Hagar’s utter passivity and coy outward gaze are expressly designed to
entice the viewer, and her half-hearted attempts to preserve her modesty
by covering her breasts and grabbing at her white satin gown to prevent itfrom sliding completely to the floor in fact only draw attention to thevoluptuous body beneath. A servant peers from behind the canopied bedcurtains at right, her eager spying echoing our own voyeuristic anticipation.
© 2017 The Leiden Collection

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The emphasis of Netscher’s painting is on lush visual delights andtitillating sensuality; emotions are politely held in check, and theconversation between Sarah and Abraham seems simple and pragmatic,with little evident concern for future repercussions.
The exceptional state of preservation of Sarah Leading Hagar to Abrahamallows us to fully appreciate Netscher’s delicate touch and skillful
application of paint. His ability to distinguish the varied tactile surfaces
within this richly appointed interior enhances the work’s overall sensuality.
Although it is not known for whom Netscher paintedSarah Leading Hagar
to Abraham, this work was later acquired by Philippe II, duc d’Orléans(1674–1723), Palais Royal, Paris, and stayed in that family’s collection
until the late eighteenth century.

-Marjorie E. Wieseman© 2017 The Leiden Collection

Sarah Leading Hagar to Abraham
Page 6 of 11Endnotes
1. The story of Hagar is recounted in Genesis 16 and Genesis 21.
2. Oil on panel, 42 x 36 cm, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Munich, inv. 1400.
Marjorie E. Wieseman, Caspar Netscher and Late Seventeenth-Century Dutch Painting(Doornspijk, 2002), no. 61.
3. Christine Petra Sellin, Fractured Families and Rebel Maidservants: The Biblical Hagar in
Seventeenth-Century Dutch Art and Literature (New York, 2006), 69 and ff., identifies only
11 examples.
4. Richard Hamann, “Hagars abscheid bei Rembrandt und im Rembrandt-Kreise,” Marburger
Jahrbuch für Kunstwissenschaft 8–9 (1936): 471–578; and Christine Petra Sellin, Fractured
Families and Rebel Maidservants: The Biblical Hagar in Seventeenth-Century Dutch Artand Literature (New York, 2006), 106–32.
5. Christine Petra Sellin, Fractured Families and Rebel Maidservants: The Biblical Hagar in
Seventeenth-Century Dutch Art and Literature (New York, 2006), 119–24.
6. Matthias Stom, Sarah Leading Hagar to Abraham , 1640s, oil on canvas, 81.5 x 100 cm,Göteborgs Konstmuseum, Göteborg, inv. GKM 1496. See Christine Petra Sellin,Fractured
Families and Rebel Maidservants: The Biblical Hagar in Seventeenth-Century Dutch Artand Literature (New York, 2006), 76–77.
7. Marjorie E. Wieseman, Caspar Netscher and Late Seventeenth-Century Dutch Painting(Doornspijk, 2002), nos. 118 and 52 respectively.

ProvenancePhilippe II, duc d’Orléans (1674–1723), Palais Royal, Paris; by descent to his son, Louis,
duc d’Orléans (1702–52), Paris (sale, Paris, 9 June 1727, unsold [as “Une jeune Femme &un Viellard”]); by descent to his son, Louis Philippe, duc d’Orléans (1725–85), Paris; bydescent to his son, Louis Philippe Joseph, duc d’Orléans (1747–93), Paris [Thomas Moore
Slade, London, 1792, purchased in association with the 7th Baron Kinnaird (1754–1805), W.
Morland and Thomas Hammersley (Orléans sale, London, April 1793, no. 86)].
Col. Le Blanc, London (sale, Christie’s, London, 26–27 May 1820, no. 97, unsold; sale,Christie’s, London, 16 June 1820, no. 122 [for £36.15 to Wilkins]).
William Wilkins (1778–1839), London, by 1820 (his sale, Christie’s, London, 22 May 1830,no. 4 [for £157.10 to Bone for Neeld]).
Joseph Neeld (1789–1856), Grittleton House, Wiltshire, by 1830; by descent to his brother,© 2017 The Leiden Collection

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Sir John Neeld, 1st bt. (1805–91), Grittleton House; by descent to his son, Sir Algernon
William Neeld, 2nd bt. (1846–1900), Grittleton House; by descent to his brother, Sir Audley
Dallas Neeld, 3rd bt. (1849–1941), Grittleton House; to Joseph Neeld’s descendant via an
illegitimate daughter, Lionel William [Inigo-Jones] Neeld [d. 1956], Grittleton House (Neeldsale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 13 July 1945, no. 76 [for £189 to Betts]).
[Eugene Slatter Gallery, London, 1950].
D. Molyneux-Cohan (sale, Sotheby’s, London, 2 December 1964, no. 93).
[H. Shickman Gallery, New York, by 1967 to Sardinsky].
Sol Sardinsky, Philadelphia, 1967–2005 [Noortman Master Paintings, 2005].
From whom acquired by the present owner in 2005.

Exhibition History
London, Royal Academy, “The Orléans Gallery Now Exhibiting at the Great Rooms,”
April–June 1793, no. 86.
London, British Institution, “Catalogue of Pictures by Spanish, Flemish, Dutch, and English
Masters with which the Proprietors Have Favoured This Institution,” June 1829, no. 183 [lentby William Wilkins].
London, Eugene Slatter, “1950 Exhibition of Dutch and Flemish Masters,” 10 May–8 July
1950, no 22 [lent by Eugene Slatter].
New York, H. Shickman Gallery, “Exhibition of Dutch Seventeenth-Century Paintings,”
October 1967, no. 12 [lent by H. Shickman].
Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art, on loan with the permanent collection, October
2002–August 2005 [lent by Sol Sardinsky].
Maastricht, European Fine Arts Fair, March 2005 [exhibited by Noortman Master Paintings].
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, on loan with the permanent collection,
February–September 2014 [lent by the present owner].
Paris, Museé du Louvre, “Masterpieces of The Leiden Collection: The Age of Rembrandt,”
22 February–22 May 2017 [lent by the present owner].
Beijing, National Museum of China, “Rembrandt and His Time: Masterpieces from The
Leiden Collection,” 17 June–3 September 2017 [lent by the present owner].

References© 2017 The Leiden Collection

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DuBois de Saint-Gelais. Description des Tableaux du Palais Royal avec la vie des peintres
à la tête de leurs ouvrages . Geneva, 1727, 163 (described erroneously as having alandscape background).
Dezalliers d’Argenville, Antoine-Joseph. Abrégé de la vie des plus fameux peintres . 3 vols.
Paris, 1745–52, 3:57.
Descamps, J. B. La vie des peintres flamands, allemands et hollandois: Avec des portraits
gravés en taille-douce, une indication de leurs principaux ouvrages & des réflexions surleurs différentes manières. 4 vols. Paris, 1753–64, 3:82.
De Fontenai, Abbé. Galerie du Palais Royal gravée d’après les tableaux des différentes
Écoles qui la composent, avec un abrégé de la vie des peintres . 3 vols. Paris, 1786–1808,
3: under “Gaspard Netscher.”
Le Brun, Jean-Baptiste-Pierre. Galerie des Peintres flamandes, hollandaise et allemands . 3vols. Paris and Amsterdam, 1792–95, 2:85, as by Constantijn Netscher.
Wilson, M. The Orléans Gallery Now Exhibiting at the Great Rooms. Exh. cat. London,Royal Academy. London, 1793, 16, no. 86.
Buchanan, William. Memoirs of Painting, with a Chronological History of the Importation ofPictures by the Great Masters into England since the French Revolution . 2 vols. London,
1824, 1:207.
Catalogue of Pictures by Spanish, Flemish, Dutch, and English Masters with which theProprietors Have Favoured This Institution . Exh. cat. London, British Institution. London,1829, no. 183.
Smith, John. A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish andFrench Painters. 9 vols. London, 1829–42, 4:154–55, no. 32.
Nieuwenhuys, C. J. A Review of the Lives and Works of Some of the Most Eminent
Painters with Remarks on the Opinions and Statements of Former Writers . London, 1834,168–69, as by Constantijn Netscher.
Waagen, G. F. Verzeichnis der Gemälde Sammlung des königlichen Museum zu Berlin .
Berlin, 1837–39, 1:339.
Waagen, G. F. Treasures of Art in Great Britain: Being an Account of the Chief Collectionsof Painting, Drawings, Sculptures, Illuminated Mss., &c. &c.

3 vols. London, 1854–57,2:247, no. 3.
Stryienski, Casimir. La galerie du régent, Philippe, duc d’ Orléans. Paris, 1913, 185, no. 430.
Hofstede de Groot, Cornelis. A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent
Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century Based on the Work of John Smith.

8 vols.

London, 1907–27, 5:151, no. 1. Translated from Beschreibendes und kritisches Verzeichnis
der Werke der hervorragendsten holländischen Maler des XVII. Jahrhunderts . 10 vols.
© 2017 The Leiden Collection

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Esslingen and Paris, 1907–28.
1950 Exhibition of Dutch and Flemish Masters . Sales cat. London, Eugene Slatter. London,
1950, no. 22.
Exhibition of Dutch Seventeenth Century Paintings . Sales cat. New York, H. Shickman
Gallery. New York, 1967, no. 12.
Atwater, Vivian Lee. Catalogue and Analysis of Eighteenth-Century French Prints After
Netherlandish Baroque Paintings. 2 vols. London, 1988, 2:933, no. 897.
Ydema, Onno. Carpets and Their Datings in Netherlandish Paintings, 1540–1700 . Zutphen,1991, 168, no. 568.
Wieseman, Marjorie E. Caspar Netscher and Late Seventeenth-Century Dutch Painting .
Doornspijk, 2002, 40 n. 17; 80; 254–55, no. 122.
Sellin, Christine Petra. Fractured Families and Rebel Maidservants: The Biblical Hagar in
Seventeenth-Century Dutch Art and Literature . New York, 2006, 81–83, fig. 11 and coverillus.

Versions
Engraved
1. Louis-Michel Halbou, Sarah Leading Hagar to Abraham , 1794, engraving and drypoint, 194
x 161 mm; in Abbé de Fontenai, Galerie du Palais Royal gravée d’après les tableaux desdifférentes Ėcoles qui la composent, avec un abrégé de la vie des peintres (Paris,1786–1808), 3: under “Gaspard Netscher.”Versions and Copies
1. After Caspar Netscher, Sarah Leading Hagar to Abraham , canvas, 60 x 50 cm, formerly
King of Wurtemburg, sale, Residenzschloss, Stuttgart, 27–29 November 1919, no. 95 (as byEglon van der Neer, “Der orientalische Sklavenhändler mit Kupplerin”).

2. After Caspar Netscher, Sarah Leading Hagar to Abraham , support unknown, 23 x 18
pouces, formerly Berger, sale, Paris, 20 October 1817, no. 58.

3. School of Caspar Netscher, Sarah Leading Hagar to Abraham , support and dimensions
unknown, formerly De Vauglas, Samson et al., sale, Paris, 28–30 September 1818, no. 99.

4. After Caspar Netscher, Sarah Leading Hagar to Abraham , support unknown, 76.2 x 66 cm,
formerly Field Marshal Andoche Junot, Duke of Abrantes; his sale, Christie’s, London, 7 July
1817, no. 26; his sale, Christie’s, London, 4 May 1818, no. 49; sale LNV PA 24 12 1822 no© 2017 The Leiden Collection

Sarah Leading Hagar to AbrahamPage 10 of 11

16.

5. After Caspar Netscher, Sarah Leading Hagar to Abraham , canvas, 20 x 18 pouces, formerly
Comte de Walterstorff, sale, Paris, 27–28 March 1821, no. 89.

6. After Caspar Netscher, Sarah Leading Hagar to Abraham , canvas, 55.9 x 40.6 cm, sale,Cologne, 28 June 1890, no. 62.

7. Attributed to Constantijn Netscher, Sarah Leading Hagar to Abraham , canvas, dimensions
unknown, formerly P. J. Herrenschwand Collection, sale, Paris, 24 January 1810, no. 101.

8. After Caspar Netscher, Sarah Leading Hagar to Abraham , support and dimensionsunknown, formerly Dufresne, sale, Destouches, Paris, 26 March 1810, no. 123.

Versions Notes

Technical Summary
The support, a single piece of fine-weight, plain-weave fabric with tacking margins removed has
been lined and mounted to a stretcher over a rigid paperboard. Cusping along the upper, left andlower edges indicates the support’s original dimensions have not been significantly altered, otherthan perhaps along the right edge. There is a paper label and a pencil inscription but no wax
collection seals, stencils or import stamps along the paperboard or stretcher reverse.
A light-colored ground has been thinly and evenly applied followed by opaque layers of smoothly
applied paint blended wet-into-wet with slightly raised brushwork along the gold pitcher and theunderplate’s highlights. Delicate dabs of paint create the illusion of the pile of the carpet draped
over the table.
An underdrawing is visible along Abraham’s neck, beard, and drapery in infrared images
captured at 780–1000 nanometers, and compositional changes evident in the X-radiographinclude shifts in the position of Abraham’s head and gaze.
The painting is signed and dated in light paint along the upper edge, just right of center.
The painting was cleaned and restored in 2006 and remains in an excellent state ofpreservation.[1]Technical Summary Endnotes

1. The painting was examined on-site without a stereomicroscope. Magnification provided bya 5x Optivisor.

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