Abraham Dismissing Hagar and Ishmael

Maes's Abraham Dismissing Hagar and Ishmael from 1653 depicts the painful Old Testament episode when Abraham, at Sarah's insistence, sent his concubine Hagar and their son Ishmael into the desert. This biblical subject, unusual in Maes's generally domestic secular output, reflects his training under Rembrandt, who treated similar Old Testament human dramas throughout his career with psychological penetration that transformed religious narrative into meditation on human relationships and their costs. Maes's version focuses on the emotional weight of the separation — the figures' postures conveying reluctance, grief, and the impossibility of reconciling competing claims of love and obligation.

The painting shows Rembrandt's strong influence in the warm, dramatic lighting and psychological depth of the figures. The chiaroscuro creates a powerful sense of emotional drama, with the illuminated figures emerging from deep shadow. Maes's brushwork is careful and descriptive, with warm tones and subtle expressions conveying the scene's emotional complexity.