Tobias med englen og fisken 1872

Georg Christian Freund created this plaster sculpture, "Tobias and the Angel with the Fish," which now resides at the SMK. Freund was working in the 19th century during a period of burgeoning national romanticism and religious revival across Europe. Here, Freund depicts a scene from the Book of Tobit, a deuterocanonical text of the Bible, where the young Tobias is guided on a journey by the angel Raphael. They hold hands and Tobias is also holding a fish, which is more than just a fish: its organs will later cure his father's blindness. The sculpture’s emotional core lies in the relationship between Tobias and Raphael, touching on themes of mentorship, protection, and divine intervention. Consider the implications of entrusting one's well-being to a guiding figure. While drawing from biblical narratives, Freund's work also creates a space to reflect on personal experiences of guidance, faith, and the intersection of the human and divine.