Who painted Landscape with Tobias and the Angel?

Landscape with Tobias and the Angel was painted by Bartholomeus Breenbergh in 1630-01-01.

Where can I see Landscape with Tobias and the Angel?

Landscape with Tobias and the Angel is held by Hermitage Museum.

What movement is Landscape with Tobias and the Angel?

Landscape with Tobias and the Angel is associated with Dutch Golden Age.

Artwork

Landscape with Tobias and the Angel

Bartholomeus Breenbergh , 1630

Landscape with Tobias and the Angel is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Bartholomeus Breenbergh. It dates from 1630 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The painting portrays the biblical narrative of Tobias guided by the Angel, set against a rugged cliff with classical ruins.

The painting portrays the biblical narrative of Tobias guided by the Angel, set against a rugged cliff with classical ruins. This subject draws from the Book of Tobit, emphasizing themes of divine protection and moral virtue. The juxtaposition of the landscape with the sacred story reflects Baroque interest in combining naturalistic scenery with religious narrative, symbolizing the harmony between nature and faith.

Technique & Style

Landscape with Tobias and the Angel is executed in oil paint on canvas, a support well suited to Breenbergh's practice of building up layered, atmospheric surfaces. The work is relatively small in scale, measuring 41 cm in height by 31 cm in width, a format typical of cabinet pictures intended for close, private viewing.

Stylistically, the painting belongs to the genre of religious landscape, combining a biblical narrative, Tobias and the Angel, with topographical and architectural motifs such as cliffs and ruins. This pairing of figures with classical ruins and rocky terrain reflects Breenbergh's characteristic Italianate approach, in which biblical episodes are absorbed into a sunlit, archaeologically inflected landscape setting.

History & Provenance

Bartholomeus Breenbergh created the oil painting Landscape with Tobias and the Angel in 1630 within the Netherlands. The work, measuring 41 cm in height and 31 cm in width, was executed on canvas. Historical records indicate that the painting was once owned by Louis Antoine Crozat before entering the collection of the Hermitage Museum, where it is currently held.

The piece depicts the biblical figures Tobias and the Angel set against a backdrop of cliffs and ruins.

Overview

Bartholomeus Breenbergh’s 1630 oil painting, Landscape with Tobias and the Angel, presents a tranquil, sun‑lit scene where a rocky outcrop and ancient ruins dominate the foreground. In the distance, the biblical travelers Tobias and the Angel walk along a path beneath a cloud‑dappled sky, their small figures providing a narrative thread within the expansive natural setting.

Context

The painting reflects the Italianate trend popular among Dutch painters who had traveled to Italy, blending Northern realism with Southern classical motifs. Its inclusion of biblical narrative within an idealized landscape aligns with contemporary tastes for moralizing scenes set against picturesque, historically inspired scenery.

Grabmal der Cecilia Metella, Andrea Locatelli

Artist & collection

Artist

Bartholomeus Breenbergh

Bartholomeus Breenbergh (before 13 November 1598 – after 3 October 1657) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of Italian and Italianate landscapes, in Rome (1619-1630) and Amsterdam (1630-1657).