Repudiation of Hagar

We are presented with a painting, oil on canvas, made by Mattia Preti, known as the Calabrian Cavalier for his origin and for the titles he deserved during the years of his active career in Rome, and it can be dated to 1635-1640.
In a rectangular canvas 182 centimetres high by 233 centimetres long, the artwork recounts the biblical episode of Abraham driving out the slave Hagar and their son Ishmael. 
In this painting, the artist has created an extremely dense and complex scene, animated by a strong dramatic feeling, in which the hand-painted luminism emphasises the main subjects: on the left, the old Abraham, with his long beard and his serious and firm gaze, points Hagar, showing her back, on the right, flanked by the little Ishmael, his son, in the dark. Hagar’s figure is striking for its dynamism: given the sudden movement of her head, a strand of hair appears suspended, as does the scarf he holds on his shoulders, as captured in a still image as Hagar turns toward Abraham one last time. After Abraham, his wife Sarah, with a pleased face, just emerges from the dark shadow. Below, their first-born curly Isaac observes the scene.
Abraham's expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael into the desert, driven by Sara, who was now certain of having ensured a descent through her son Isaac, was repeatedly referred to by the painter in various forms. However, it appears that the Prato composition is the most comprehensive and most studied of the series, and the substantial variations would rule out the possibility that it is a workshop copy, even if it could have been produced by collaborators of the artist.
The latest research carried out on the painting indicates a Roman origin, in particular from the private home of Monsignor Giuseppe Vaj who, without direct descent, left heirs of his heritage the Vaj of Prato at the end of the 18th century.