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Uyttenbroeck, Moses van
Tobias Surprised by the Fish; No. 2 in a series of 4: The Story of Tobias Tobie surpris par le poisson; no 2 d'une série de 4 : Le livre de Tobie
1620 1620

In chapter six of the Book of Tobit, Tobias and the angel arrive to the Tigris River one day and decide to lodge by the water overnight. When the young man goes down to the river to wash himself, a fish leaps out at him from the river. In the current work, Tobias sits beneath a tree by the side of the water. He has removed some of his clothes and as he prepares to wash his feet, he recoils when he notices the fish in the water. Although the passage in the biblical account does not describe the fish in any detail, visual artists more often than not chose to represent the animal as a large, menacing fish. However, that is not the case in Van Uyttenbroeck’s print. The fish startles Tobias, yet the animal appears to be smiling at the young traveler. The angel stands behind Tobias and instructs the latter to gather his courage. In the moments that follow, the angel commands his companion to draw the fish to land. To the right, a country dweller prods his cow to continue its passage along the narrow pathway that divides the stream of water.

Uyttenbroeck, Moses van
The Hague, Netherlands 1600-The Hague, Netherlands 1646 The Hague, Netherlands 1600-The Hague, Netherlands 1646
Tobias Surprised by the Fish; No. 2 in a series of 4: The Story of Tobias Tobie surpris par le poisson; no 2 d'une série de 4 : Le livre de Tobie
1620 1620
Etching, state 2 of 4 Eau-forte, 2e état sur 4
overall: 12.8 cm x 18.3 cm
Purchase, Bader Acquisition Fund, 2010 Achat, Fonds d’acquisition Bader, 2010
53-046.082

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