Artwork
The Angel Departing from the Family of Tobias
The Angel Departing from the Family of Tobias is an ink print by the Baroque artist Rembrandt. It dates from 1641 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
This quiet trick makes the scene feel hushed, like a moment just before the family realizes the angel is gone.
You see a small, dark print: an angel with wings rising from a family gathered around a table. The room is dim, lit only by a single candle.
Rembrandt made this etching in 1641, using a sharp needle to scratch lines into a copper plate. The angel’s glow isn’t painted—it’s the absence of lines, letting the paper shine through. This quiet trick makes the scene feel hushed, like a moment just before the family realizes the angel is gone.
If you like how light and shadow play here, try looking up the technique *etching*.
Overview
The Angel Departing from the Family of Tobias is a print by Rembrandt van Rijn, created in 1641 using etching and drypoint techniques.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a biblical scene: an angel with wings ascending from a family gathered around a table, illuminated by a single candle in a dimly lit room.
Technique & Style
Rembrandt achieved a sense of quiet drama by using the absence of etched lines to convey the angel's glow, allowing the paper to shine through and create a subtle contrast with the surrounding darkness.
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.
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