Artwork
The Angel Raphael Takes Leave of Old Tobit and his Son Tobias
The Angel Raphael Takes Leave of Old Tobit and his Son Tobias is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Pieter Lastman. It dates from 1618 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work illustrates the biblical narrative of Tobias and the Angel, specifically the moment the Archangel Raphael departs from Old Tobit and his son Tobias.
The work illustrates the biblical narrative of Tobias and the Angel, specifically the moment the Archangel Raphael departs from Old Tobit and his son Tobias. As a piece of religious art, the painting centers on the angel's farewell to the human figures. The iconography draws directly from the story of Tobit, featuring Tobias and Raphael as the primary focus of the composition.
The scene represents the conclusion of the angel's guidance and the separation between the divine messenger and the mortal family he has protected.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on wooden panel, measuring approximately 62 cm in height by 93 cm in width and dated to 1618. It belongs to the religious genre and portrays the biblical episode of Tobias and the Angel, a subject recurrent in early‑seventeenth‑century Dutch art. The composition reflects the stylistic conventions of Pieter Lastman's religious scenes, emphasizing clear narrative detail and naturalistic figure modeling. The painting is part of the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen.
History & Provenance
The painting was created by Pieter Lastman in 1618, as confirmed by the artist's dated signature and the work's entry in the Statens Museum for Kunst's records. Ownership history traces the work to Frederik Moltke, indicating that the painting was part of his collection before it entered the holdings of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, where it remains. No specific inventory or accession number or exhibition history is documented in available sources.
Context
Pieter Lastman created The Angel Raphael Takes Leave of Old Tobit and his Son Tobias in 1618, an oil painting on panel measuring 62 cm by 93 cm. The work depicts the biblical moment of Tobias and the Angel and belongs to the religious genre of early‑Baroque Dutch art. It entered the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst and was originally owned by Frederik Moltke. As a religious composition by a prominent Dutch master, the painting illustrates the influence of narrative biblical scenes in 17th‑century Dutch art and situates Lastman's output within the broader development of narrative religious painting in the period.
Overview
Pieter Lastman’s 1618 oil painting, The Angel Raphael Takes Leave of Old Tobit and his Son Tobias, presents a biblical farewell scene on a rocky shoreline. A luminous, winged angel hovers above two kneeling figures, while a distant rider and a small town frame the composition. The work is part of the collection of Denmark’s Statens Museum for Kunst.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Pieter Lastman (1583–1633) was a Dutch painter. Lastman is considered important because of his work as a painter of history pieces and because his pupils included Rembrandt and Jan Lievens. In his paintings Lastman paid…
