Blindheid van de oude Tobit c. 1627 - 1650

Editor: So, this metal relief is called "Blindheid van de oude Tobit," or "The Blindness of Old Tobit," created somewhere between 1627 and 1650, presumably by Matthäus Merian. It's remarkably detailed. The composition feels divided, with Tobit in the foreground and a scene playing out behind him. What symbols or deeper narratives do you observe within it? Curator: Indeed. Note how Tobit is literally and figuratively grounded, in the lower portion, almost subsumed by the textures of earthly life - the tools, the debris, and domestic wares all crowd him. This juxtaposition pulls him away from that other gathering. This can represent two aspects of vision. The scene with figures at a table becomes like an ethereal vision by contrast, distinct, a type of knowing unavailable to Tobit in his immediate reality. Do you think his "blindness" becomes a kind of clarity? Editor: I think that's insightful because I immediately pitied him! So the crowded objects aren't just clutter but tools for understanding what is tangible versus the "ethereal" which he literally can’t see but still knows? The domestic brings that grounded realness... Curator: Precisely! Observe how the artist utilizes the symbolism of "everyday" objects to evoke a broader sense of memory and recognition in the viewer. It shows we all create a world around our sensory ability or inability. How does our knowledge or lack of awareness, physically, or psychologically impact identity? This image presents the human journey as we struggle for meaning amid what obscures it from us. Editor: That helps reframe my interpretation of his blindness and invites reflection of the symbols within the foreground. It prompts questions of individual interpretation based on limited personal views or knowledge!