Hagar and Ishmael 1856

Edward Sheffield Bartholomew created this marble relief sculpture, Hagar and Ishmael, sometime in the mid-19th century. Bartholomew was working in a cultural context where Neoclassical ideals emphasized the nobility of the human form, often drawing on biblical or mythological narratives. Here, we see Hagar, an Egyptian servant, and Ishmael, her son with Abraham. Banished to the desert, they embody themes of exile and survival. But consider, what does it mean to depict a woman of color and her child in a narrative of desperation, rendered in the cool, white marble typically reserved for idealized forms? Bartholomew captures a moment of despair, yet there is also a strength in Hagar's protective stance. She is both a mother and a figure of resilience. This sculpture invites us to reflect on the intersections of race, motherhood, and survival, and the stories we choose to immortalize in art.