The Return of Tobias
West, Benjamin, British, American painter, 1738-1920
1803
oil on canvas
Gift of Jane R. Worth, Charles F. Richards and Robert H. Richards in memory of Lydia H. Richards and Robert H. Richards, 1960

Born near Springfield, Pennsylvania, West had minimal artistic training in his youth. For a short time, he worked as a portrait painter in Philadelphia. Local patrons recognized his talent and, thanks to them, he left to study in Europe in 1790. He never returned to the United States.

From 1760 to 1763, West studied and traveled in Italy. He benefited from the advice and example of Anton Raphael Mengs, a leader in the eighteenth century revival of interest in Greek and Roman art that has become known as Neo-Classicism. Well supplied with letters of introduction, West settled in London in 1763, where he gained popularity quickly. Within a short time, he won the patronage of King George III, who appointed him his official history painter in 1772. West held the post until 1801. He was a founder of the Royal Academy, and in 1792 he followed Sir Joshua Reynolds as the Academy’s second President, serving until his death in 1520. By 1800, West had an international reputation.

West completed over 400 paintings primarily of historical, mythological and religious subjects. He advised numerous American artists who visited him in London, including Washington Allston, Charles Willson Peale, Gilbert Stuart and John Singleton Copley.

The Return of Tobias depicts a story from the Apocryphal Old Testament. The blind Tobit sent his son Tobias on a journey to collect an old debt and to marry their cousin Sara. The angel Raphael appeared in the guise of a man to guide the young Tobias. During their travels, Tobias caught a fish whose gall, Raphael told him, would cure Tobit’s blindness. West’s painting captures the moment of Tobias’s homecoming. Tobit reaches toward his returning son, as Raphael looks on.

The Return of Tobias has elements both of West’s Neoclassicism and of his turn toward a more Romantic, style. The balanced composition and reserved gestures, as well as the relatively shallow space, reflect the classical taste for symmetry and clarity. Yet the emotions of the characters, both obvious and implied, are typical of Romanticism. Tobit’s expression and his affectionate, welcoming gesture toward Tobias speak of longing and gratitude. Tobias’ posture is loving and respectful, and his hand is reassuring as it interlocks with his father’s. Raphael, who in some versions of the story is about to disappear, seems vigilant and kindly.

West did at least three other versions of this theme, concentrating not on the moment of reunion (when Tobit does not realize that he will be cured) but on the moment of cure. In 1802, he presented the pathos of blindness in Belisarius and the Boy (Detroit Institute of Art), showing Justinian’s general in his old age, blind and outcast.