by-nc

Tobias curing the old Tobit

Maker

School of

1606-1669

Formerly attributed to

1606-1669

Title

Tobias curing the old Tobit

Date of Production

(?) 1635 - 1642

Medium

pen and brown ink on laid paper

Dimensions

Height: 11.1 cm
Width: 6.5 cm

Accession Number

D.1978.PG.179

Mode of Acquisition

Count Antoine Seilern, bequest, 1978

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords




Label Text

The scene derives from the Old Testament Book of Tobit, popular with Rembrandt and his workshop. Tobias, sent on a journey by his father, is attacked by a great fish. The angel secretly accompanying Tobias reveals that this fish’s gall bladder will cure his father’s blindness. This drawing focuses on the moment when Tobias tenderly rubs the miraculous ointment into Tobit’s eyes, evoking the father’s unseeing trust in his son.

Provenance

Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) [Information from the dealer, perhaps L.2445 was formerly present]; ceded by his executors to Samuel Woodburn (London), 1835; Woodburn estate sale, Christie’s (London), 16-27 June 1854, lot 2234; John Postle Heseltine, London (1843-1929), L.1508; W.H. Schab (New York); purchased there by Paul Graupe (New York) on behalf of Count Antoine Seilern (1901-1978), 4 December 1947 (£162); Princes Gate Bequest 1978

Exhibition History

Special Display - Rembrandt drawings, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 22/02/2007-03/06/2007

Drawings by Rembrandt in the Princes Gate Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 02/07/1983-25/09/1983

Literature

Royalton-Kisch, Martin, Catalogue of drawings by Rembrandt and his school. Online research catalogue. https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/publications/online_research_catalogues/rembrandt_drawings/drawings_by_rembrandt.aspx, 2010
under After Flinck no. 10

Sumowski, Werner, trans. by Walter L. Strauss, Drawings of the Rembrandt School, 10 vols., New York 1979-1992
vol. VI, no. 4

Drawings by Rembrandt in the Princes Gate Collection, Courtauld Galllery, 1983
cat. no. 1 ...More

Seilern, Count Antoine, Corrigenda and Addenda to the Catalogue of paintings and drawings at 56 Princes Gate, London, London 1971
no. 179
still as Rembrandt

Bredius, A., revised by H. Gerson, Rembrandt. The complete Edition of the Paintings, 1969
p. 599 under no. 502

Held, Julius S., Rembrandt's 'Aristotle' and other Rembrandt studies, Princeton 1969
p. 114n15
doubts the attribution to Rembrandt and the c. 1630 date

Seilern, Count Antoine, Paintings and drawings of Continental Schools other than Flemish and Italian at 56 Princes Gate, London SW7, London 1961; III
no. 179
pl. IV
admits many doubts about the authenticity but decides they can be resolved if drawing dated early, c. 1630

Benesch, Otto, Corpus der Rembrandtzeichnungen, 1954-73
vol. I, no. 131 and vol. III under no. 544
fig. 147
dated c. 1636

Royalton-Kisch, Martin, The drawings of Rembrandt: a revision of Otto Benesch's catalogue raisonné, rembrandtcatalogue.net ongoing
Benesch 0131 (posted 4 June 2012) and under 0120
School of Rembrandt - Gerbrand van den Eeckhout??? 1638-42?? ...Less

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: Recto, right edge, fragment: a large wing as of an eagle?

Inscription: Verso: upper right edge, graphite: "P"; lower right, graphite: "Rt"; below that, graphite: "-3-"; lower left corner, brown ink: cut off by corner, maybe "2" and in the same hand and ink at lower centre edge, now hidden beneath handling edges "a.42" [a shelfmark or album number? similar to John Somers L.2981 but the "4" doesn't match; the same inscription appears also on the former support, now in the object file, to D.1978.PG.185]; lower right edge, graphite, same inscription on D.1978.PG.197: "size 1[?]". Handling edges, Verso: lower right corner, graphite: “I 35”.

Collector's mark: Verso: left lower edge, stamped in red: John Postle Heseltine (L.1508).

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