Artwork
Tobias buries the Dead in Nineveh
Tobias buries the Dead in Nineveh is an unspecified painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Joseph Werner the Younger. It dates from 1665 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1665 by Swiss artist Joseph Werner the Younger, this lime‑panel painting portrays a dramatic episode drawn from the biblical narrative of Tobias. Executed in the vigorous Flemish Baroque idiom, the work belongs to the religious genre and captures a moment of intense physical struggle.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a lifeless figure being wrested by several men, evoking the episode in which Tobias, guided by the archangel Raphael, retrieves the corpse of his father Tobit from the sea. The chaotic handling of the body underscores themes of mortality, rescue, and divine intervention inherent in the story.
Technique & Style
Werner employs a palette of muted earth tones—browns, reds, and subdued greens—interrupted by vivid accents such as a scarlet cap and a stark white cloth. Muscular, contorted bodies are rendered with strong chiaroscuro, emphasizing tension and the physicality of the scene, hallmarks of the Baroque emphasis on drama and movement.
History & Provenance
Born into a family of painters, Werner the Younger traveled widely, securing commissions across Europe, including work for the court of Louis XIV in France. This particular piece reflects his international exposure and the cross‑cultural influences that shaped his mature style.
Context
The painting reflects the 17th‑century fascination with biblical subjects rendered in a theatrical manner, aligning with the Counter‑Reformation’s demand for emotionally engaging religious art. Its Flemish Baroque characteristics reveal the diffusion of that regional style beyond the Low Countries into Swiss artistic production.
Artist & collection
Artist
Joseph Werner (22 June 1637 – 21 September 1710), known as the Younger to distinguish him from his painter father of the same name, was a Swiss painter, known for miniatures.
