Italian School Artist, The Healing of Tobias, Late 17th Century, Oil on Canvas

Italian school; second third of the 17th century. "The Healing of Tobias". Oil on canvas. Relined. very good condition Dimensions: 117.5 x 107 cm; 130 x 118 cm (frame). This canvas illustrates the moment when Tobias, following the instructions of the archangel Raphael, anoints his father's eyes with fish gall to cure his blindness. The pictorial treatment of this work allows it to be included in the Italian school of the last third of the 17th century. The realism of the figures, the colour palette and the dramatic lighting bring us closer to the features of the aforementioned school. Abandoning the theatricality and artifice of the Baroque, the work focuses on a nuanced scene where realism has a great pictorial weight. In contrast to the exuberant and elegant line, with its virtuous and elaborate execution, a general reaction arose at the beginning of the 18th century, based on compositional austerity and operational sobriety. Thus, in contrast to the desire for virtuosity of the previous century, artists recovered the previous models in a more sober and solid form, focusing on the characterisation of the figures, although in this case the body maintains characteristics of Michelangelo's influence, with that excessive volumetry. One of the most represented themes in the 17th and 18th centuries is the healing of Tobias. Based on the biblical text of the same name that describes the illness suffered by his father, Tobias, during the exile in Babylon: "I did not know that there were sparrows on the wall; suddenly, their hot dung fell on my eyes, producing white spots. I had the doctors treat me, but the more remedies they gave me, the less I could see because of the spots, until I was completely blind (Tob 2,10)". The spots described in the text may correspond to the exudate of a purulent conjunctivitis, whose most frequent cause is an infection produced by Chlamydia trachomatis. In the same story, the archangel Saint Raphael indicates to Tobias the remedy that he must use so that his father recovers his sight: "anoint his eyes with fish gall; the remedy will make the white spots contract and detach from his eyes. Thus your father will regain his sight and see the light (Tob 11,8)". These types of infections, endemic in this area, were treated with irritating substances, and this type of treatment was used until the mid-20th century, when the agent causing the disease and antibiotics were discovered. It has restorations.