Hagar - Palm Springs, CA
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Metro2
N 33° 49.469 W 116° 32.986
11S E 541663 N 3742786
Located in the Palm Springs Art Museum at 101 N Museum Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Waymark Code: WMT477
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 09/22/2016
Views: 0
This bronze sculpture by Jacques Lipchits is entitled "Hagar in the Desert (Hagar III)" and is dated 1949-1957. The work is in the cubist style and difficult to interpret the action of the two figures.
Wikipedia (
visit link) informs us:
"Hagar ...is a biblical person in the Book of Genesis. She was an Egyptian handmaid of Sarai (Sarah), who gave her to Abraham "to wife" to bear a child. (The prefix "to", as in "took to wife", may indicate that the wife is a concubine or inferior wife.) The product of the union was Abraham's firstborn, Ishmael, the progenitor of the Ishmaelites.
The name Hagar originates from the Book of Genesis, and is only alluded to in the Quran. She is considered Abraham's second wife in the Islamic faith and acknowledged in all Abrahamic religions. In mainstream Christianity, she is considered a concubine to Abraham....
Hagar cast out
Later, Sarah gave birth to Isaac, and the relationship between Hagar and her mistress came to a climax. At a celebration after Isaac was weaned, Sarah found the teenage Ishmael mocking her son. She was so upset by it that she demanded from her husband, who was now referred to as Abraham, to send Hagar and her son away. She declared that Ishmael would not share in Isaac's inheritance. Abraham was greatly distressed by his wife's words and God told Abraham not to be distressed but to do as his wife commanded because not only would Isaac carry the Abrahamic line, but a nation would come from the line of Ishmael as well. (Genesis 21:9-13)
Early the next morning, Abraham brought Hagar and Ishmael out together. Abraham gave Hagar bread and water then sent them into the wilderness of Beersheba. She and her son wandered aimlessly until their water was completely consumed. In a moment of despair, she burst into tears. God heard her and her son crying and came to rescue them.
The angel of God opened Hagar's eyes and she saw a well of water. This well is known today as the Zamzam Well.[6] He also told Hagar that God "will make a great nation" of Ishmael. Hagar and Ishmael were saved.
Hagar found her son a wife from Egypt and they settled in the Desert of Paran. (Genesis 21:14-21)"