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Massys, Cornelis
Tobias’ Wedding Night (“Tobias and Sarah praying”); No. 5 in a series of 8: The Story of Tobias) La nuit de noces de Tobie (« Tobie et Sarah priant »); no 5 d'une série de 8 : Le livre de Tobie
around 1550 v. 1550

Tobias’s Wedding Night serves as the fifth plate in a series of eight engravings related to the Book of Tobit produced by Cornelis Massys around 1550. The scene takes place in Sarah’s bedchamber. Tobias, who bends over toward a fireplace, is in the act of throwing the heart and liver of the fish he caught at the Tigris River into the burning fire. This will drive away the evil spirit that has plagued all of Sarah’s previous marital hardships and killed her husbands. In the meantime, Sarah kneels in prayer at the edge of her bed asking God to protect and bless her marriage to Tobias. Massys diverges from the biblical account by only showing Sarah praying. Chapter eight of the Book of Tobit describes Tobias and his wife praying together. The artist lends Sarah agency by conveying her in this act alone. Although she has never sinned against the Lord, Sarah assumes responsibility for the death of her seven previous husbands and desires a wholesome marriage with Tobias. Over the course of his life, Massys adopted three different monograms. The “CMA” he used in the latter third of his career, appears at the bottom right corner of this engraving.

Massys, Cornelis
Antwerp, Belgium 1510-Antwerp, Belgium 1562 Antwerp, Belgium 1510-Antwerp, Belgium 1562
Tobias’ Wedding Night (“Tobias and Sarah praying”); No. 5 in a series of 8: The Story of Tobias) La nuit de noces de Tobie (« Tobie et Sarah priant »); no 5 d'une série de 8 : Le livre de Tobie
around 1550 v. 1550
Engraving, state 1 of 2 Gravure, 1er état sur 2
overall: 7.5 cm x 9.1 cm
Purchase, Bader Acquisition Fund, 2010 Achat, Fonds d’acquisition Bader, 2010
53-046.055

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