Minneapolis Institute of Art

The Angel Departing from the Family of Tobias

Rembrandt van Rijn

Date

1641

Medium

Etching with touches of drypoint

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

With Tobias safely home, the debt retrieved, and Tobit's eyesight restored, Raphael's mission is complete. He finally reveals his identity as he departs in a freely sketched flurry of clouds and drapery. Endowed with spiritual perception, only Tobit—and his wife, Anna—witness his departure, which so startles Anna that she drops her cane. In the Bible, just father and son are present at the leave-taking, but Rembrandt assembled the entire household, displaying his fondness for down-to-earth domesticity. Also taking leave is Tobias's dog, said to be the only dog given a specific role in the Bible. Netherlands, Europe

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