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The Blindness of Tobit

1651
Not on view
Rembrandt executed a number of paintings, drawings, and etchings related to the story of Tobit, revealing a particular affinity for this apocryphal book of the Hebrew Bible. In this etching, the artist depicts the moment when the old and blind Tobit turns to welcome home his long-expected son (Tobit 11:5–11). In haste, Tobit knocks over a spinning wheel and runs into the doorpost, with the dog of his approaching son Tobias nestled into his garment. Details such as the dog, the wheel, and the fish hanging from the hearth are not referenced in these verses of the story but give dimension to Tobit’s impoverished life. Masterfully etched in a lively, open style, this scene demonstrates Rembrandt’s dexterity with an etching needle.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Blindness of Tobit
  • Artist: Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) (Dutch, Leiden 1606–1669 Amsterdam)
  • Date: 1651
  • Medium: Etching with touches of drypoint; first of two states
  • Dimensions: Sheet (Trimmed): 6 5/16 × 5 3/16 in. (16.1 × 13.2 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1937
  • Object Number: 37.3.13
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Abraham Casting out Hagar and Ishmael, Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) Dutch, Etching with touches of drypoint
Abraham Casting out Hagar and Ishmael
Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)
1637
St. Jerome Reading, Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) Dutch, Etching
St. Jerome Reading
Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)
1634
Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) Dutch, Etching, pen and ink
Return of the Prodigal Son
Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)
1620–69
St. Jerome in Prayer, Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) Dutch, Etching
St. Jerome in Prayer
Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)
1635
Portrait of Lieven Willemsz van Coppenol, Writing Master (the larger plate), Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) Dutch, Etching and drypoint; fourth state
Portrait of Lieven Willemsz van Coppenol, Writing Master (the larger plate)
Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)
1658

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