Italy / 1750s
Tobias and the Angel
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Tobias and the Angel as painting (Italy · 1750s).
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.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on canvas and credits Francesco Guardi (Italian, 1712–1793).
The museum's collection notes: 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.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtTobias and the AngelOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.