Tobias healing his Father
1640 - 1644. Oil on canvas.Room 007
This Old-Testament scene (Tobias 11, 1-19), illustrates the moment when, following the Archangel Raphael´s instructions, Tobias places fish liver on his blind father´s eyes. Tobias the father and Tobias, the son, appear in company of the Archangel and Anne, the father´s wife, as well as a dog and a fish. This scene, the Archangel´s revelation and a song of praise mark the end the Bible´s book of Tobias and of the suffering he underwent to prove his faith in God. Notable here is the combination of strong chiaroscuro effects drawn from the work of Caravaggio, along with intense and warm colors whose use Strozzi learned from Ruben´s painting.
A very close version of this work with almost matching measurements is in the Hermitage Museum (inv. 16, 1632, oil on canvas, 158 x 223.5 cm). (Information updated by the Department of Italian and French Painting until 1800 on May 23, 2022).
