The Healing of Tobit by Bernardo Strozzi

The Healing of Tobit (1632) is a late work by the Genoese Baroque master Bernardo Strozzi (c. 1581–1644), painted on wood panel and now in the collection of the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg ^[3]^[4]. The painting captures the climactic moment of the apocryphal Book of Tobit, when the young Tobias applies fish gall to his blind father’s eyes while the archangel Raphael—who has just revealed his divine identity—looks on ^[5]. Executed during the final phase of Strozzi’s career in Venice, the work demonstrates the rich colorism and energetic brushwork that made him a principal founder of the Baroque style in Venetian painting ^[1].

Artist: Bernardo Strozzi between Genoa and Venice

Born in Genoa around 1581, Strozzi—nicknamed il Cappuccino and il Prete Genovese—trained first in the workshop of the minor Mannerist painter Cesare Corte, then under the Sienese master Pietro Sorri, who was active in Genoa from 1596 to 1598 ^[1]. Sorri is credited with steering the young artist away from the artificial elegance of Luca Cambiaso’s late Mannerism toward a greater naturalism ^[1]. After an early career in his native city, Strozzi moved to Venice, where his work—characterized by rich, glowing color and broad, energetic brushstrokes—exercised considerable influence on artistic developments in both cities ^[1]. His subject range was unusually wide, encompassing history, allegory, genre, portraits, and still lifes ^[1]. The Healing of Tobit dates to 1632, the year he is recorded in Venice, and belongs to the mature phase of his career ^[1]^[3].

Iconography: the miraculous cure of Tobit

The narrative depicted derives from the Book of Tobit, a deuterocanonical text popular in Counter-Reformation art. According to the story, Tobias—shown at the right—was sent by his blind father on a long journey to recover family money ^[5]. The angel Raphael, disguised as a relative, protected him, and when Tobias was attacked by a huge fish, Raphael advised him to preserve its organs ^[5]. Upon returning home, Tobias discovered his father had gone blind, and Raphael instructed him to place the fish’s gallbladder on the father’s eyes to effect a cure ^[5]. Strozzi depicts the miraculous healing and the simultaneous revelation of Raphael’s angelic nature, a moment that combines physical restoration with spiritual disclosure ^[5]. The composition thus addresses the themes of family devotion and trust, with the elderly Tobit’s vulnerability contrasted against the youthful hopefulness of Tobias and the ethereal presence of Raphael ^[5].

Technique: oil on wood with Venetian colorism

The work is executed in oil on wood, a support Strozzi used frequently for cabinet pictures and devotional works ^[3]^[4]. Its dimensions—158 × 223.5 cm—make it a substantial panel painting, unusual for the format ^[3]. Strozzi’s Venetian-period style is evident in the rich, glowing color and broad, energetic brushstrokes that distinguish his mature output ^[1]. The artist’s handling of light and shadow, while not as starkly tenebrist as Caravaggio’s, creates a dramatic emphasis on the healing gesture and the faces of the three figures. Strozzi’s technique reflects his synthesis of Genoese naturalism with the coloristic traditions of Venice, a combination that would prove influential for later Baroque painters in both cities ^[1].

Provenance: the Hermitage collection

The painting is recorded in the collection of the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, where it remains today ^[3]^[4]. The Hermitage’s digital catalogue serves as the primary source record for the work, confirming its attribution to Strozzi and its date of 1632 ^[4]. The painting entered the Hermitage as part of the museum’s extensive holdings of Italian Baroque painting, though the specific circumstances of its acquisition are not documented in the available sources ^[3]^[4].

Provenance summary
Date	Location	Notes
1632	Venice (presumed)	Painted during Strozzi’s Venetian period ^[1]^[3]
Present	Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg	Recorded in museum collection ^[3]^[4]

A second version of The Healing of Tobit by Strozzi, dated to c. 1625, is held by the Cleveland Museum of Art (accession 1993.5) ^[5]. That smaller panel—42.7 × 65.5 cm unframed—depicts the same narrative moment and likewise emphasizes family devotion and trust ^[5]. The Cleveland version, acquired through the John L. Severance Fund and the Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund, predates the Hermitage painting by roughly seven years, suggesting that Strozzi returned to the subject during his career ^[5]. The existence of two autograph versions indicates the popularity of the Tobit narrative in Baroque religious art and Strozzi’s own engagement with the theme across different phases of his stylistic development ^[1]^[5].

Frequently asked questions

What is the date of Strozzi’s Healing of Tobit in the Hermitage?

The Hermitage painting is dated 1632, according to the Wikidata record and the museum’s catalogue entry ^[3]^[4]. A related version at the Cleveland Museum of Art is dated c. 1625 ^[5].

What medium and dimensions does the Hermitage painting use?

The work is executed in oil on wood and measures 158 × 223.5 cm ^[3]^[4].

What biblical episode does the painting depict?

The painting shows the moment from the Book of Tobit when Tobias applies fish gall to his blind father’s eyes, curing him, while the angel Raphael reveals his divine identity ^[5].