German School (XVIII) - Tobias und der Fisch

Anonymous artist, possibly from southern Germany
18th century?

Tobias is frightened by the fish and seeks protection with the angel

Dimensions: 26x37 cm (with frame) / 19x30.5 cm (without)
Oil on wooden panel
Not signed
Framed (the frame slightly damaged)

Episode from the Book of Tobit (Apocrypha)
("1 And the boy went out with the angel, and the dog went out with them and went along with them. 2 The boy went down to bathe his feet in the river Tigris. A large fish leapt out of the water and tried to swallow the boy’s foot, but he cried out. 3 The angel said to the boy: Catch it and bring the fish into your possession! Then the boy overpowered the fish and drew it ashore.")

In the 17th and 18th centuries the story of Tobias and the angel was comparatively frequently depicted. A similar composition can be found, for example, in Herman van Swanevelt or Adam Elsheimer (in a painting from the Elsheimer circle the black-and-white little dog also appears).

A few years ago purchased in the German antique trade.