Artwork

Landscape with farmstead, peasants and the exodus of Tobias with the angel

Landscape with farmstead, peasants and the exodus of Tobias with the angel is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Abraham Bloemaert. It dates from 1630 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1630 by Dutch artist Abraham Bloemaert, this oil painting merges a pastoral setting with a biblical episode. The composition presents a modest village scene populated by peasants, livestock, and a modest farmstead, while simultaneously depicting the young Tobias accompanied by an angel on a journey. The work is part of the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.

Subject & Meaning

The narrative foregrounds the biblical story of Tobias’s exodus, a motif drawn from the Book of Tobit, where the archangel guides the youth. Bloemaert situates this sacred encounter amid everyday rural life, juxtaposing the divine escort with ordinary villagers engaged in chores, thereby highlighting the coexistence of the holy and the mundane.

Technique & Style

Executed in the early Baroque idiom, the painting employs pronounced chiaroscuro, with illuminated figures emerging from darker surroundings. Bloemaert’s brushwork balances detailed rendering of the peasants and animals with a more atmospheric treatment of sky and foliage, reflecting his transition from the earlier Haarlem Mannerist influences toward a more naturalistic, dramatic visual language.

History & Provenance

Abraham Bloemaert, active between 1566 and 1651, produced this work during the height of the Dutch Golden Age. After remaining in private hands for several centuries, the canvas entered the Gemäldegalerie Berlin’s holdings, where it has been displayed as part of the museum’s Dutch Baroque collection.

Context

The painting exemplifies a broader 17th‑century Dutch trend of integrating biblical stories into familiar, local landscapes. By embedding the angelic guide within a recognizable farmstead, Bloemaert aligns with contemporary efforts to render religious narratives accessible to a largely Protestant audience, emphasizing moral instruction through everyday visual experience.