Tobias and the Angel
1662–1728
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and wash over traces of black chalk
Dimensions
9-7/8 x 8-1/4 in. (25.1 x 20.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Henry Walters, 1917
Accession Number
17.236.15
Tags
Art Historical Context
Paolo de Matteis (1662–1728), a Neapolitan painter the late Baroque era, captures a tender moment from the biblical Book of Tobit in this drawing, *Tobias and the*. The scene depicts the young Tobias accompanied by the archangel Raphael on their journey, a popular motif in Christian art symbolizing divine guidance, protection, and filial piety. De Matteis, influenced by the grand traditions of Caravaggio and the Carracci, often explored such religious narratives, blending dramatic realism with ethereal grace during Italy's Counter-Reformation period. Executed in pen and brown ink with brush a...