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Abraham de Pape, 'Tobit and Anna', about 1658

About the work

Overview

The Book of Tobit, an apocryphal book of the Old Testament, tells the story of Anna and Tobit, the married couple depicted in this painting. Their faith was tested by God: they were reduced to poverty and Tobit was blinded. With the help of the Archangel Raphael, their son Tobias eventually restored Tobit’s sight.

Anna is shown at a spinning wheel, her source of income, and the empty cupboard is testament to their poverty. In its tranquil domesticity, the scene resembles a genre painting; Abraham de Pape mostly painted genre scenes in a style close to that of his teacher, Gerrit Dou. Rembrandt, de Pape’s fellow Leiden townsman, also painted Tobit and Anna decades earlier (the painting was once thought to be by Dou).

The illusionistic curtain is a common feature in seventeenth-century Dutch paintings. It harks back to the story of the duelling artists Zeuxis and Parrhasius, as told by the Roman author Pliny. Parrhasius asked Zeuxis to pull aside a curtain covering his picture, but the curtain itself turned out to be a painted illusion.

Key facts

Details

Full title
Tobit and Anna
Artist dates
before 1621 - 1666
Date made
about 1658
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
40.7 × 56 cm
Inscription summary
Signed; Dated
Acquisition credit
Bought, 1886
Inventory number
NG1221
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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