Tobias Healing the Blind Tobit

Image credit: Ferens Art Gallery

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This multi-figure painting depicts the story of Anna, her husband Tobit and their son Tobias, which is told in the apocryphal Book of Tobit in the Old Testament. God had tested the family by blinding Tobit and reducing the family to poverty. The painting depicts the moments just before Tobit’s sight is restored. The Archangel Raphael dominates the right-hand side of the composition. He raises his hand to instruct the young Tobias to rub his blind father's eyes with gall from a miraculous fish. The fish has been caught in the River Tigris and is depicted on the plate held to the left of Tobias. The gaze of each figure is directed towards the Tobias and Tobit – including the dog – which creates a heightened sense of anticipation for the impending miracle.

Ferens Art Gallery

Kingston upon Hull

Title

Tobias Healing the Blind Tobit

Date

c.1650

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 170 x W 217 cm

Accession number

KINCM:2016.344

Acquisition method

purchased using the Ferens Endowment Fund, with the assistance of Arts Council England/Victoria and Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund and Art Fund support, 2016

Work type

Painting

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Ferens Art Gallery

Queen Victoria Square, Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire HU1 3RA England

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