standing male angel at right with a thin wire halo and carrying a thin staff with a curved thin element on front; angel wears robe with a shell motif on each side of chest and a sash with incised flowers over his PL shoulder; angel points downward with his PR hand; young man seated on rock at left, with bare feet, wearing a short robe with zigzag design at hem, looking up at angel; fantastic fish with many teeth, tongue and snout emerging from water at center; spaniel-type dog between two man figures, looking down at fish; figures are silver, base/rocks are gilded

Saint Raphael with Tobias, His Dog, and the Fish, c. 1780

Giuseppe Sanmartinoexpand_more

Silver, gilt bronzeexpand_more

Gift of Al and Mary Agnes McQuinn in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Minneapolis Institute of Artsexpand_more  2015.24.1

On View in Gallery 350expand_more

Tobias, a young Jewish man, has been sent by his blind father to retrieve money left with a relative. Accompanying him on the journey are his dog and a hired guide who, unbeknownst to him, is the archangel Raphael. When they reach the Tigris River, Tobias is attacked by a monstrous fish. Raphael tells him to catch it and preserve its innards as medicines. Tobias later burns the heart and liver to free his future wife from a demon and uses the gall (bile) to cure his father’s blindness. The lively dog appears in other works by Sanmartino—it may have been the artist’s own pet.

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Details
Title
Saint Raphael with Tobias, His Dog, and the Fish
Artist Life
1720–1793
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2015.24.1
Curator Approved

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standing male angel at right with a thin wire halo and carrying a thin staff with a curved thin element on front; angel wears robe with a shell motif on each side of chest and a sash with incised flowers over his PL shoulder; angel points downward with his PR hand; young man seated on rock at left, with bare feet, wearing a short robe with zigzag design at hem, looking up at angel; fantastic fish with many teeth, tongue and snout emerging from water at center; spaniel-type dog between two man figures, looking down at fish; figures are silver, base/rocks are gilded

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