download
08276_1950-92-43

LIPCHITZ, Ossip/Jacques

Druskieniki, Lithuania 1891 - Capri, Italy 1973

Etude pour Agar, maquette n° 1

Study for Hagar: Maquette No. 1

1948

bronze

statuette

Dimensions (HxWxD): 5 14 x 6 12 x 3 12 in.

Acc. No.: 1950-92-43

Credit Line: Bequest of Lisa Norris Elkins, 1950

Photo credit: Philadelphia Museum of Art

© Artist : Fair Use (Section 107, Copyright Act 1976)

Provenance

  • 1950, Bequest of Lisa Norris Elkins

Bibliography

  • Museum's website, 15 March 2015

Comment

  • Museum's website, 15 March 2015:
    This sculpture recounts the biblical story of Hagar, a young Egyptian maidservant who was dismissed from Abraham's household by his wife, Sarah, and forced to wander the desert with her son, Ishmael. Although an angel eventually rescued the mother and child, Lipchitz chose to focus on their despair rather than celebrate their survival. The artist saw contemporary significance in Hagar's plight, relating it to the long-standing conflict between the Jews and the Arabs, which escalated with the founding of Israel in 1948. He offered this work as a prayer for future peace between the two peoples.