Hagar and Ismael in the Desert Charles Hutin

The courts of eighteenth-century Europe were keen to employ French masters: Charles-François Hutin, for example, worked for decades in Dresden, in the service of the Saxon prince-electors. His talent also manifested itself in sculpture: in addition to his engravings and paintings, he also produced numerous sculptures during his years in Dresden. ln this painting of an Old Testament scene, his sculptural vision is attested by the graphic, plastic body forms and the somewhat harsh shaping of the folds. The strong lighting saturates the delicately patterned details, making the ochre, brownish and pinkish tones more subtle and luminous from within. This is how the scene becomes apparitional, capturing the miraculous moment when the angel of God shows the well in the desert to the parched Hagar, saving her and her child from dying of thirst.