Artwork
Liber Veritatis: No. 50, A River Scene with Tobias and the Angel
Liber Veritatis: No. 50, A River Scene with Tobias and the Angel is a print by the Romanticist artist Richard Earlom. It dates from 1774 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1774 by English printmaker Richard Earlom, this work forms part of his Liber Veritatis series and is now in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Executed as a print, it presents a calm river landscape populated with a small group of figures and a distant castle.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a solitary figure standing on a low stone wall beside a river, accompanied by an angel and a dog. The tranquil setting, framed by trees and a few birds in flight, evokes a contemplative atmosphere that aligns with the biblical episode of Tobias guided by an angel.
Technique & Style
Earlom employs delicate chiaroscuro, using contrasts of light and shadow to model the foliage, water, and architectural elements, thereby creating a sense of depth. The fine line work and tonal gradations reflect the printmaking practices of the late eighteenth century and anticipate Romantic sensibilities.
History & Provenance
The print was produced as entry No. 50 in Earlom’s Liber Veritatis, a catalog of his own works intended to document and protect his output. It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings through a mid‑twentieth‑century acquisition, though earlier ownership details remain sparse.
Context
Earlom’s work emerges at a time when English artists were increasingly drawn to pastoral and biblical subjects rendered with a heightened sense of nature’s emotional resonance, a trend that would later be identified with Romanticism.
Artist & collection
