Tobias and the Angel c1473
This small panel is typical of the type of painted works produced in
the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence during the 1470s,
which clearly exhibits the work of different artists.
The
painting is sometimes attributed to Perugino, who was said to have
worked in Verrocchio’s workshop and parts such as the dog and the fish
are thought to have been painted by Leonardo.
- Medium Tempera on wood panel
- Size 83.6 x 66 cm
- Location National Gallery
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According to the book of Tobit, Tobias was sent by his blind father
to collect a debt from a distant city. The Archangel Raphael, who
escorts him and his little dog, bade him extract the heart, liver and
gall from a fish that he had caught in the river Tigris after it had
tried to devour him. The heart and liver were burned in order to ward
off evil spirits and the gall was used to restore the eyesight of
Tobias’s father.
During the Renaissance, the concept of a “Guardian angel” was
widespread. Raphael was venerated as a protector of travellers and as a
healer. In Italy, the theme of Tobias was often used by a family to
commemorate the travels of a son in whose likeness Tobias would
sometimes be depicted. This sort of painting was especially popular in
Florence amongst the members of a confraternity devoted to the
Archangel Raphael.
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