Artwork
Wooded Landscape with the Banishment of Hagar and Ishmael
Wooded Landscape with the Banishment of Hagar and Ishmael is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Unknown. It dates from 1600 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. The work, executed in oil on canvas, depicts a dense, shadowy forest surrounding a modest dwelling.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
By embedding the Old Testament episode within a dense forest landscape, the artist subordinates the human drama to the surrounding natural environment.
The painting depicts the Banishment of Hagar and Ishmael within a wooded landscape setting. This biblical narrative, drawn from the Book of Genesis, recounts the expulsion of Hagar and her son Ishmael by Abraham, an event traditionally interpreted as a story of abandonment, exile, and divine providence in the wilderness.
By embedding the Old Testament episode within a dense forest landscape, the artist subordinates the human drama to the surrounding natural environment. The wooded setting functions both as a setting for the narrative and as a symbolic wilderness, evoking the desolation and uncertainty faced by the exiled figures. The integration of a scriptural subject into a landscape format reflects a Flemish tradition of treating biblical stories as small figures within expansive, atmospheric natural scenery, where the landscape itself carries much of the emotional and symbolic weight of the work.
History & Provenance
The painting is held by the Statens Museum for Kunst, which is listed as both its collection and its location. No inventory or accession number is recorded in the available sources.
No exhibition history is documented in the provided material.
Overview
The work, executed in oil on canvas, depicts a dense, shadowy forest surrounding a modest dwelling. Two figures move away from the structure, one bearing an object while the other follows closely. A muted, cloud‑filled sky looms above, lending the scene a subdued, somber atmosphere.
Technique & Style
Through layered oil applications, the painter achieves a rich chiaroscuro, contrasting deep, tangled foliage with shafts of diffused light. The brushwork renders the trees with intricate, twisting forms, while the sky’s pale tones soften the overall palette, enhancing the melancholic mood.
Artist & collection
