It is not widely know that, before his trip to Italy in 1642 and 1643, Weenix produced works more or less in the style of Rembrandt; this ‘Tobias under the vine’ is the best known of these. It represents a fragment from the Bible story told in Tobias 2: 10-11. ‘And the same night also I returned from the burial, and slept by the wall of my courtyard, being polluted and my face was uncovered, and I knew not that there were sparrows in the wall; and mine eyes being open, the sparrows muted warm dung into mine eyes, and a whiteness came in mine eyes.’ The apocrypha Bible book of Tobias clearly enjoyed Rembrandt’s favour and is one of the themes that he depicted on several occasions.
Specifications
| Title | Tobit, asleep under a vine, is blinded |
|---|---|
| Material and technique | Oil on canvas |
| Object type |
Painting
> Painting
> Two-dimensional object
> Art object
|
| Dimensions |
Height 92,5 cm Width 81,5 cm |
|---|---|
| Artists |
Painter:
Jan Baptist Weenix
Previously attributed: Barent Fabritius |
| Accession number | 1204 (OK) |
| Credits | Purchased 1869 |
| Department | Old Masters |
| Acquisition date | 1869 |
| Creation date | in 1641 - 1642 |
| External exhibitions |
langdurig bruikleen Catharijneconvent (2014) Langdurig bruikleen Steen, Calvijn, Weenix en Cuyp (2019) |
| Research |
Show research Alma |
| Material | |
| Object | |
| Geographical origin | Northern Netherlands > The Netherlands > Western Europe > Europe |
