Artwork
Tobias and the Angel
Tobias and the Angel is a chalk drawing by the Romanticist artist Martin Johann Schmidt. It dates from 1780 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Executed in black chalk with selective white heightening on a buff laid paper support, the work measures a modest size typical of preparatory studies.
Martin Johann Schmidt, often called Kremser Schmidt, produced the drawing *Tobias and the Angel* circa 1780. Executed in black chalk with selective white heightening on a buff laid paper support, the work measures a modest size typical of preparatory studies. Schmidt, a prominent Austrian painter of the late Baroque and Rococo periods, is better known for his large-scale ecclesiastical commissions, making this intimate drawing a rare glimpse into his draftsmanship.
Subject & Meaning
The composition illustrates the biblical episode from the Book of Tobit in which the archangel Raphael escorts the youth Tobias. Tobias is shown kneeling, clothed in a plain tunic and holding a fish—a symbol of the later healing miracle—while Raphael stands beside him, wings extended, staff in hand, and a supportive hand on the boy’s shoulder. The scene emphasizes guidance, divine protection, and the transformative power of faith.
Technique & Style
Schmidt employs a restrained palette of black chalk, building volume through cross‑hatching and varied pressure, while white heightening accentuates the luminous quality of the angel’s wings and the reflective surface of the fish. The lack of background isolates the figures, focusing attention on their gestures and the narrative moment. Although Schmidt’s mature paintings are characterized by Rococo ornamentation, this drawing reflects a more intimate, almost Romantic sensitivity to emotion and atmosphere.
History & Provenance
Created near the end of Schmidt’s career, the drawing likely served as a study for a larger altarpiece or fresco that the artist planned for a church in Lower Austria. It remained in private collections for much of the 19th and 20th centuries before entering a museum holding of Austrian Baroque drawings. Documentation traces its ownership through several Austrian families, confirming its attribution to Schmidt and its approximate date of execution.
Artist & collection
Artist
Martin Johann Schmidt, called Kremser Schmidt or Kremserschmidt, (25 September 1718 – 28 June 1801), was one of the outstanding Austrian painters of the late Baroque/Rococo along with Franz Anton Maulbertsch.
The Angel Appearing to Hagar and Ishmael
The Madonna and Child in Glory Adored by Saints
Madonna and Child in Glory with Saints John the Baptist, Stephen, and Lawrence
The Sacrifice of Isaac
The Stigmatization of Saint Francis
Study of an Angel in Flight
The Angel Appearing to the Centurion Cornelius
Classical Figures Gathered around an Urn
Susanna and the Elders
Saint Jerome in the Desert Listening to the Angels
Angels and Putti
Scherzo with Antique Figures