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.
Provenance
Possibly Federigo Giovanelli, Venice (Until 1800); Baroness Valerie Groedel, Budapest (?); (Neumann Gallery, Vienna) (By 1933?); Francesco Pospisil, Venice, sold through Alessandro Brass to the Cleveland Museum of Art (1952); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio (1952-)
Accession Number
1952.235.2
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
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.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
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Sketch of the Labyrinth of the Villa Pisani
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Piazza San Marco with Doges' Palace
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Pope Pius VI Descending the Throne to Take Leave of the Doge in the Hall of SS. Giovanni e Paolo, 1782 and Pontifical Ceremony in SS. Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, 1782 (pair)
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