Het huwelijk van Tobias en Sara 1570 - 1580

Curator: Let’s turn our attention to "The Marriage of Tobias and Sarah," an engraving from the period 1570-1580. It is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, though its maker remains anonymous. Editor: What strikes me immediately is how strangely disorienting the composition feels, with its circular format and the way the figures are arranged around its edge as if gravity has ceased to apply to them. Curator: Yes, that circular format is quite arresting, isn't it? I read this layout as a deliberate evocation of cyclical time. The narrative here revolves around purification, and this visual device might speak to repeated rites of passage. This is Tobias casting out the demon, Asmodeus, guided by the archangel Raphael so he and Sarah can consummate their marriage. Note that the scene also depicts Sarah’s parents peacefully asleep. Editor: Look at the economy of line in this print. It's all hatching and cross-hatching. The artist relies almost exclusively on creating gradients and shadows to create form. The way the angel’s robes fall are particularly compelling to me. Curator: The robes can also be understood symbolically; such heavy drapes denote both royalty and divinity. Here, the fabric visually communicates the archangel’s intervention as well as the sanction of marriage. Moreover, Asmodeus is conspicuously absent. That void is palpable. Editor: I would argue the artist's deliberate omission allows viewers to use their imaginations. Speaking of technique, consider the tonal range achieved through varying densities of engraved lines, especially evident in the shading of the figures' bodies. It’s as if light itself is emerging from within the characters. Curator: Light can also function as divine protection, wouldn’t you agree? As in the glow surrounding them shields Tobias and Sarah in their sacred act of conjugal union. Editor: A compelling interpretation. I hadn't considered the light in those terms. Curator: Art opens a multitude of perspectives when we stay receptive to them. Editor: Yes, even simple visual techniques can hide layered significance!