Tobias Frightened by the Fish
1551 to 1600
Medium
etching
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1973.32.64
Art Historical Context
In the National Gallery of Art's collection, *Tobias Frightened by the* is a captivating etching by Dutch artist Herman van Swane, created between 1551 and 1600. This draws from the apocryphal Book of Tob in the Bible, depicting the young Tobias recoiling in terror as a massive fish leaps from the Tigris River. Accompanied by the angel Raphael (disguised as a), Tobias is on a journey to retrieve money and find a cure for his father's blindness—a narrative rich in themes of divine intervention, faith, and peril that resonated deeply in Renaissance religious art. Swanevelt, known for his landsc...
About the Artist
Herman van Swanevelt · 1603–1655
Herman van Swanevelt (1603–1655) was a leading Dutch Baroque painter, draughtsman, and etcher, celebrated for his luminous Italianate landscapes that bridged the classical ideals of Rome with the emerging naturalism of the Dutch Golden Age. Born in Woerden, near Utrecht, to a family of artisans whose lineage traced back to the renowned Lucas van Leyden, Swanevelt's early life and training remain s...