Tobias and the Archangel Raphael - Technique and Styles
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Tobias and the Archangel Raphael
ca. 1644-1648
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
On this painting Raphael's figure dominates the foreground. His billowing clothes, his right foot stepping out, a traveller's staff in his left hand, and great outspread wings give the impression of the light movement of a celestial being. In his right hand he carries the fish that Tobias caught in the river Tigris on his advice, and which is the attribute of doctors and the symbol of Tobit's miraculous healing.
In the background a deep landscape stretches out showing an episode from the story of Tobias, who "went out and the angel went with him; and the dog came out with him and went along with them" . The dog is a symbol of a joyous return.