Hagar and the Angel

This Hagar and the Angel from 1643, held in the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida, depicts the Old Testament scene in which an angel appears to the desperate Hagar in the desert after Abraham has expelled her and her son Ishmael. The subject — divine mercy shown to an outcast — carried powerful Counter-Reformation resonance. The Ringling Museum, founded by the circus magnate, houses one of the finest collections of Baroque art in America, including an important group of Italian paintings.

Cortona captures the dramatic encounter between the exhausted Hagar and the radiant angel with characteristic Baroque dynamism. The desert landscape provides an austere backdrop that concentrates attention on the figures, while the angel's luminous appearance creates a dramatic contrast with the earthly setting.