ANDREA VACCARO, 1604 - 1670

Andrea Vaccaro
1604 - 1670
Abraham Banishes Hagar and Ishmael
Oil on canvas
168.5 x 220 cm, with frame 191 x 244 cm
Monogrammed lower right
Provenance: Private collection, Spain; art dealer, Madrid; auctioned by private owner at the Dorotheum (Old Masters I, 2022, Lot No. 80); since then in the Vienna private collection of Dr. Adrian Hollaender

Hollaender Collection
This collection of renowned Old Masters, built up over many years with both expertise and good taste, comes from the home of the well - known Viennese lawyer, author (e.g., "Pavarotti - Addio Luciano," "Legends and Stars of Opera"), and cultural manager Dr. Adrian Hollaender.
Having grown up in a distinctly artistic environment, where his parents—the actress and artist manager Univ. - Prof. Ariane Hollaender - Calix, and the legendary long - time director of the Vienna State Opera, Ioan Holender, stood out as avid art lovers and collectors, Dr. Adrian Hollaender established himself as a collector of outstanding masterpieces of painting.
His collection, now being offered exclusively for auction at Tiberius Auction House, comprises select works by famous Italian masters, such as Andrea Vaccaro’s well - known Old Testament painting “Abraham dismissing Hagar and Ishmael,” which bears his monogram; Sassoferrato’s atmospheric “Madonna in Prayer” or old Venetian masterpieces by Nicolò Bambini and Francesco Corneliani and the legendary Il Mirandolese, through impressive portraits by the Turin master painter La Clementina, to Dutch masters such as van Goyen and Pieter Wtewael, as well as, as special additions, an old French tapestry and a typical Matisse.

Andrea Vaccaro, one of the most significant painters of the Neapolitan Seicento, developed in his oeuvre a characteristic synthesis of naturalistic observation and idealizing classicism. Starting from early influences of Caravaggism, particularly in the dramatic lighting and the physical presence of his figures, he increasingly turned to a calmer, more balanced visual language in his mature creative phase. In this work, influences of Bolognese classicism—particularly through Domenichino and Guido Reni—are evident, as is a softer, more nuanced use of color reminiscent of Anthony van Dyck. Vaccaro was particularly valued for his religious paintings and worked for both local and Spanish patrons. The painting discussed here, monogrammed in the lower right corner, stylistically belongs to his mature period around the mid - 17th century and was appraised by the specialist Riccardo Lattuada during a previous auction at the Dorotheum.
The painting depicts a relatively rarely portrayed episode from the Book of Genesis: Abraham’s banishment of Hagar and her son Ishmael (Genesis 21). After Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian maidservant, had borne Abraham a son, the subsequent birth of Isaac led to tensions within the family. By divine command, Abraham was compelled to send Hagar and Ishmael away. The scene focuses on the inner conflict of this moment before the final separation takes place—a moment that is only briefly described in the biblical text and rarely depicted with such intensity in painting. The bread and water that Abraham gives Hagar serve as central iconographic attributes, pointing to the impending journey into the desert and the divine trial. These are comparable to those in Vaccaro’s painting of Lot and his daughters (Museo del Prado, Madrid, Inv. No. P005136).
The composition is divided into two distinct pictorial zones. On the right, Abraham kneels against the dark background of a cave. He wears a blue robe with an ochre - colored cloak over it, and has raised his hands in prayer, his elbows resting on a boulder. His gaze is directed upward, underscoring his inner turmoil and his struggle in prayer. Vaccaro frequently employed this male model, as seen, for example, in depictions at the Church of Il Gesu Nuovo in Naples. On the opposite side, the landscape opens up to a lighter background with a cloudy sky, trees, and a distant mountain peak. Here sits Hagar, pointing to Abraham with one hand while pulling her son Ishmael close to her with the other. The child seeks his mother’s closeness and appears to turn toward her breast—a motif that can be understood as an emphatic depiction of maternal care and existential dependence. In the foreground, an elaborately designed carafe and three loaves of bread placed on a cloth allude to the biblical narrative while simultaneously lending the scene a quiet, symbolic depth.
Stylistically, the painting exemplifies Vaccaro’s ability to combine emotional intensity with formal restraint. The balanced composition, the subdued yet warm color palette, and the nuanced rendering of fabrics and flesh tones attest to his affinity with the classical trends of the 17th century. At the same time, a subtle sensitivity to light and atmosphere remains palpable, stemming from his engagement with the Neapolitan tradition. Vaccaro thus occupies a mediating position within the painting of his time: between the dramatic naturalism of early Baroque painting and the elegant, idealized visual language of later developments. His works document not only the artistic diversity of Naples but also the artist’s ability to fuse diverse influences into a distinctive, harmonious style.
Bibliography: A. K. Tuck - Scala, Andrea Vaccaro. Naples, 1604 - 1670. His Documented Life and Art, Naples 2012.