Tobit and Anna were the parents of Tobias who saved his father's sight with the help of the Archangel Raphael. Tobit had been reduced to poverty by God as a test: Anna supported them with her spinning wheel. Book of Tobit (2: 11 and 4: 21). If the identification of the subject as Tobit and Anna is correct, the spinning-wheel is presumably a reference to Anna working for money and the bare cupboard an allusion to their poverty. Because of the interior setting the painting was for a long time been interpreted as being a genre scene with an old couple. However, the subject was identified by comparison with a similar painting by Rembrandt ('Anna and the Blind Tobit'), also in the National Gallery's Collection.
In 17th-century Holland, paintings were sometimes protected by curtains, and illusionistic representations of them, as in the curtain set in front of the scene on the right, are not uncommon.
Find more like this:
Tobit, Anna, Tobias, Archangel Raphael, Spinning-wheel, Working, Poverty, Rembrandt, Abraham de Pape.| Product Code | NG1221 |
|---|---|
| artist | Abraham de Pape |
|
Returns
We hope that you will love everything you buy from us, however, if you're not completely happy with your order, please contact us within 14 days of receipt. A 20% cancellation fee applies to made-to-order prints. If your order is damaged or faulty, we will arrange a replacement.
More information on Returns & Refunds |
Tobit and Anna Print
|
|
|
|
20% Cancellation Fee on Made to Order products
If you decided to cancel your made-to-order print for any reason, it is unlikely that we could sell it to another customer at full selling price. We'll therefore charge a cancellation fee of 20% of the order price.
