ARTWORKS

A Landscape with Tobias and the Angel

Jan Lievens (1607–1674)

The National Gallery, London

A Landscape with Tobias and the Angel

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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This moody and evocative landscape is more than just a simple pastoral scene. The presence of the angel and the youth in the foreground is a clear sign that it represents the story of Tobias, from the Book of Tobit.Tobit, who was blind, asked his son Tobias to go on a journey to collect a debt. He was escorted by the Archangel Raphael, who disguised his true identity, and by his dog. As Tobias crossed the River Tigris he was attacked by a fish. Raphael helped him catch it, instructing him to save the heart, liver and gall bladder. When Tobias returned home, Raphael told him to rub his father’s eyes with the gall. The old man’s sight was restored and Raphael revealed his true identity.This picture almost certainly depicts Tobias carrying the fish under his arm, but the detail is unclear -- it could just possibly be his dog, in which case this would then represent the moment just before he is attacked by the fish.

The National Gallery, London

London

Read more on The National Gallery, London
Title

A Landscape with Tobias and the Angel

Date

1640-4

Medium

Oil on oak

Measurements

H 56.9 x W 88.5 cm

Accession number

NG72

Acquisition method

Holwell Carr Bequest, 1831

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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Artist or maker

Jan Lievens

1607–1674

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