Artwork
Tobias Healing His Father's Blindness
Tobias Healing His Father's Blindness is a drawing by the Baroque artist Rembrandt. It dates from 1642 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Rembrandt’s drawing portrays the pivotal episode from the apocryphal Book of Tobit where the son, Tobias, attempts to restore his father Tobit’s sight. The composition gathers the central figures—Tobias, his father, the archangel Raphael, and two women—around a seated Tobit, capturing a quiet, domestic moment of care.
Subject & Meaning
The work translates a biblical miracle into an intimate family scene, emphasizing human concern over divine spectacle. Tobias is shown concentrating on the delicate task, while the presence of spectacles on one woman underscores the theme of vision and healing.
Technique & Style
Executed with swift, confident lines, the drawing demonstrates Rembrandt’s skillful use of chiaroscuro, employing contrasts of light and shadow to model forms and suggest depth. The marks appear simple yet convey texture and movement, highlighting the tactile interaction between the figures.
Context
Created after the introduction of cataract surgery in Amsterdam (1635) by Dr. Job Janszoon van Meekren, the drawing reflects contemporary medical knowledge. Rembrandt may have observed such procedures, informing his depiction of Tobias using a scalpel rather than the traditional fish‑gall remedy.
Legacy
The inclusion of everyday details, such as the spectacles and the realistic handling of the medical act, illustrates Rembrandt’s broader effort to humanize biblical narratives. This approach influenced subsequent artists who sought to ground sacred stories in observable reality.
Artist & collection
Artist
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), known mononymously as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and draughtsman.
Figure Studies
The Adoration of the Magi
Figure Studies (recto)
The Madonna and Child with Saints in a Landscape (Sacra Conversazione)
Birth Scene
The Betrothal of the Holy Virgin
The Sacrifice of Iphigenia (recto) / Study of a Male Nude (verso)
Theatre Scene (recto)![Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple [verso], by Antonio Zanchi](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/antonio-zanchi--presentation-of-the-virgin-in-the-temple-verso--450080eaf8685583-w320.webp)
Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple [verso]
Joseph Recounting His Dreams
The Healing of Tobit (verso)
Reading of the Barrister's Brief