Sarah presenting Hagar to Abraham, who sits at the foot of a bed, from the series 'The Story of Abraham'
ca. 1543
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 1 15/16 x 3 1/4 in. (4.9 x 8.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.766.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
Georg Pencz’s engraving *Sarah Presenting Hagar to Abraham* (ca. 1543) captures a pivotal moment from the Book of Genesis. In the intimate scene, Sarah offers her servant Hagar to her husband Abraham, who sits at the foot a bed. This act sets in motion the story of Ishmael’s birth and underscores themes of faith, obedience, and divine promise that resonated deeply with sixteenth-century viewers. As one of the Nuremberg “Little Masters,” Pencz specialized in small-scale engravings that rewarded close looking. The delicate lines and compact format—barely two by three inches—allowed these prints...
About the Artist
Georg Pencz · 1490–1550
Comment on works: Religious; History; Portraits