_Florentine School_ (15th century).
_See also_ (p. xx)
The Hebrew legend of Tobit and his son Tobias (told in the Book of
Tobit in the Apocrypha) was a favourite one with the Mediæval Church,
and became therefore a traditional subject for painting; see _e.g._
in the National Gallery, 288, 72, and 48. Tobit, a Jewish exile,
having fallen also into poverty, and afterwards becoming blind, prays
for death rather than life in noble despair. "To him the angel of
all beautiful life (Raphael) is sent, hidden in simplicity of human
duty, taking a servant's place for hire, to lead his son in all right
and happy ways of life" (_Fors Clavigera_, 1877, p. 31). Here we see
Raphael leading the young Tobias into Media, where he was to marry
Sara, his rich kinswoman, the daughter of Raguel. But she was haunted
by an evil spirit, who had slain her seven husbands, each on their
wedding-day, and the angel bade Tobias take the gall of a certain fish,
wherewith afterwards to heal his father's blindness, and its heart and
liver wherewith to drive away the evil spirit from his bride. Tobias is
carrying the fish, Raphael has a small box for the gall. The "rising
step" and the "springy motion in his gait" are characteristic of him
who was the messenger of heaven, the kindly companion of humanity--
Raphael, the sociable spirit, that deigned
To travel with Tobias, and secured
His marriage with the seven times wedded maid.
MILTON: _Paradise Lost_, v. 221.
For the authorship of this picture, see under 296. "This picture," says
a critic who gives both to Verrocchio, "may possibly be not entirely
from his hand, but there is no doubt that it is essentially his,
and that to his fancy for painting boyhood and opening youth we owe
that curious misreading of the story of Tobias, representing him as
a young lad instead of a grown man, which is to be found through all
the numerous Florentine picture of him by the school of Botticelli, by
Piero di Cosimo and the rest" (_Times_, October 26, 1888).