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Hagar and Ishmael, (painting). Artist:  West, Benjamin, 1738-1820, painter. Title:  Hagar and Ishmael, (painting). Dates:  1776-1803. Digital Reference:  Medium:  Oil on canvas. Dimensions:  76 x 54 1/2 in. (193.0 x 138.4 cm). Inscription:  (Lower right:) B. West 1776 (Lower left:) B. West 1803 signed Description:  The painting depicts the dying Ishmael curled up at Hagar's feet. As Hagar reaches down to embrace Ishmael, she looks up to an angel in the upper right corner of the painting. Subject:  Religion -- Old Testament -- Hagar & Ishmael Object Type:  Painting Owner:  Metropolitan Museum of Art, 5th Avenue at 82nd Street, New York, New York 10028 Accession Number: 95.22.8 Provenance:  Formerly in the collection of Cremorne, Lord, London, England 1776. Anonymous Collection, Ireland until ca. 1803. West, Benjamin, London, England 1803-1820. West, Raphael & Benjamin, London, England until 1829. George Robins, London, England Sale (May 25, 1829) no. 135. Armstrong, 1829. Seguin, Arthur E. S., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by 1851-1852. Seguin, Ann Childe, New York, New York 1852-1888. Seguin, Maria C., New York, New York 1888. Seguin, Edward S. R., Mrs. (Clara), New York, New York by 1923. Remarks:  In 1776, the painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy and was then purchased by Lord Cremorne, apparently because the face of Ishmael resembled that of his son. When his son died, the painting was sold. Eventually it was reacquired by West, who made changes to the painting and resubmitted it to the Royal Academy in 1803. This caused a stir because it was against the rules to exhibit the same painting twice. However, West maintained that the painting was so completed changed that it should be considered a new painting. A new angel had been painted in place of the old one, and the images of Hagar and Ishmael were altered, and the background was completely different. (Radiographs have confirmed West's claims.) The painting was eventually exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1804, and was well received. References:  Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975. Gardner & Feld, "American Ptgs," Metropolitan Museum,. Vol. I, 1965, pg. 28-29. Caldwell, John, and Oswaldo Rodriguez Roque, "American Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Volume I: A Catalogue of Works by Artists Born by 1815," New York, NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1994, pg. 67. Illustration:  Image on file. Antiques (Nov. 1960) pg. 478. Caldwell, John, and Oswaldo Rodriguez Roque, "American Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Volume I: A Catalogue of Works by Artists Born by 1815," New York, NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1994, pg. 68. Note:  The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide. Repository:  Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012 Control Number:  IAP 36120020   Copy/Holding information Smithsonian AmericanArt Museum Control Number   Inventory of American Paintings 36120020 Add Copy to MyList Format: HTMLPlain textDelimited Subject:   Email to:

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