Tobias and the Angel

1750s

Francesco Guardi

(Italian, 1712–1793)

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Culture

Italy, 18th century

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

Framed: 70.5 x 90.5 x 6.5 cm (27 3/4 x 35 5/8 x 2 9/16 in.); Unframed: 56.5 x 75.5 cm (22 1/4 x 29 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1952.235.2

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Location

201 French Neoclassical Painting & Sculpture

Description

This series of paintings predominantly tells the Old Testament story of Abraham and Isaac, and each of the canvases treats the interaction of humans and angels. In three works, angels appear to Abraham. However, the narrative of Tobias and the Angel comes from an entirely different book of the Bible. The blind Tobit sends his son Tobias off to collect a sum of money in the distant town of Media, with the angel Raphael accompanying him in disguise as a human. This particular work depicts Raphael overseeing Tobias catching a fish, which would later be used to cure his father's blindness.