''Tobias and Sarah in Prayer with the Angel Raphael and the Demon'' (circa 1660) is an

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

-on-canvas painting by the

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( nl, Gouden Eeuw ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands, roughly spanning the era from 1588 (the birth of the Dutch Republic) to 1672 (the Rampjaar, "Disaster Year"), in which Dutch trade, science, and Dutch art, ...

painter

Jan Steen Jan Havickszoon Steen (c. 1626 – buried 3 February 1679) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, one of the leading genre painters of the 17th century. His works are known for their psychological insight, sense of humour and abundance of colour. Life ...

. It is now in the collection of the

Bredius Museum Museum Bredius is a museum named after Abraham Bredius on the Lange Vijverberg in The Hague. It is remarkable for its collection of etchings and paintings, but is most attractive to visitors for its accurate restoration of the 18th-century ''Heren ...

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

. The painting shows Tobias and Sarah praying while the Angel

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of works by Raphael, His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of ...

binds the demon. This painting, which was restored in 1996 by rejoining

Abraham Bredius Dr. Abraham Bredius (18 April 1855 in Amsterdam – 13 March 1946 in Monaco) was a Dutch art collector, art historian, and museum curator. Life Bredius travelled widely, visiting various art collections in his youth, and worked at the Dutch Mus ...

's angel half with the marriage bed half formerly owned by the Jewish refugee

Jacques Goudstikker Jacques Goudstikker (30 August 1897 – 16 May 1940) was a Jewish Netherlands, Dutch art dealer who fled the Netherlands when it was Battle of the Netherlands, invaded by Nazi Germany during World War II, leaving three furnished properties and an ...

, was the subject of a dispute about

nazi plunder Nazi plunder (german: Raubkunst) was the stealing of art and other items which occurred as a result of the Art theft and looting during World War II, organized looting of European countries during the time of the Nazi Party in Germany. The loot ...

. The Goudstikker half was restituted after it had already been rejoined and thus the dispute could only be resolved by one party buying the other half. It is unknown what specific amount was paid to Marei von Saher, the Goudstikker heir, but the purchase was only finalized in 2011. This painting, still in partially overpainted fragments, was documented by

Hofstede de Groot Cornelis Hofstede de Groot (9 November 1863 – 14 April 1930), was a Dutch art collector, art historian and museum curator. Life He was born in Dwingeloo and spent some time in Switzerland in his youth due to weak lungs, where he learned Germa ...

in 1908, who wrote about them as separate catalog entries:

25a. The Marriage of Tobias. Barent van Lin, The Hague, on April 18, 1676, delivered a picture of this subject to the notary Dispontijn in payment of a debt (A. Bredius). 25b. The Marriage of Tobias. A very good picture. Sale. Amsterdam, March 6, 1708 (205 florins). ... 69. ST. MICHAEL AND THE SLAIN DRAGON. St. Michael, who has wings and wears a short green doublet, stands on the left, fastening a chain to the body of the slain dragon, which is wound about his left thigh. The saint has his left foot upon a low altar, on which a fire is burning. A staff rests against the altar; above it stands a lamp, and in front of it is a knapsack. A fragment. Signed in full on the altar, in the right centre; panel, 26 inches by 21 1/2 inches. In the possession of the dealer F. Kleinberger, Paris. Now in the collection of A. Bredius, The Hague. Entries 25a, 25b, and 69 for 'The Marriage of Tobias''
in Hofstede de Groot, 1908

Another "Tobias and Sarah with the Demon" painting by Nicolaes Knüpfer is said to be Steen's inspiration. File:Nicolaus Knupfer - Tobias en Sarah 1654.jpg, Nicolaes Knüpfer, ''Tobias and Sarah Praying Before Their Wedding Night'', 1654,

Centraal Museum The Centraal Museum is the main museum in Utrecht, Netherlands, founded in 1838. The museum has a wide-ranging collection, mainly of works produced locally. The collection of the paintings by the Northern Mannerist Joachim Wtewael is by a lon ...

. File:Jan Steen - Tobias and Sarah Praying before their Marriage Bed (fragment) NK2726.jpg, Left half as it appeared in the looted art database

References

External links

The archangel binding Asmodeus during the wedding night of Tobias and Sarah, ca. 1668
in the

RKD The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: RKD-Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center i ...

''De huwelijksnacht van Tobias en Sarah''
in the

O Solomon, Where art thou?
blogpost and plea by art historian

Gary Schwartz Gary E. Schwartz is an American psychologist, author, parapsychologist and professor at the University of Arizona and the director of its Laboratory for Advances in Consciousness and Health. Schwartz researches the veracity of mediums and energy ...

to keep the Goudstikker half united with the Bredius half and in the Bredius Museum, 8 December 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tobias and Sarah 1660s paintings Paintings by Jan Steen Paintings in The Hague Paintings of Raphael (archangel) category:Paintings depicting Tobias Demons in art