Gebed van Tobias en Sara voor het huwelijksbed c. 1500 - 1525

This roundel, Prayer of Tobias and Sarah before the Bridal Bed, was made in the Netherlands using silver stain on glass. The image reflects the period’s intense interest in domestic virtue. Tobias and Sarah, on their wedding night, pause to piously pray for God’s blessing. The setting is an interior of a northern European home, rendered in detailed perspective, though we don't know what kind of home, as the anonymous artist seems to have omitted markers of class status. Behind them we see attendants entering with a meal. We can better understand this work by exploring religious treatises from the time offering instruction on marriage. Comparing the roundel with others of its kind, we might find some evidence of workshops or schools of glassmakers. Further research could illuminate this artifact as a reflection of the values that shaped the domestic lives of people in the Netherlands.