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The Marriage of Tobias and Sarah

Artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (Venetian, March 5, 1696–March 27, 1770)
Title The Marriage of Tobias and Sarah
Date 1720–1725
Medium Black ink and watercolor on paper
Dimensions Image: 5 7/16 × 5 5/8 in. (13.8 × 14.3 cm)
Framed: 11 1/8 × 11 × 1 1/2 in. (28.3 × 27.9 × 3.8 cm)
Credit Line The Anthony Moravec Collection of Old Master Drawings, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 2010.125

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About this Work

This rare early drawing by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo portrays an episode from the life of Tobias (from the Book of Tobit). Here an angel places his hands on the heads of both Tobias and Sarah to bless their impending marriage. Sarah gestures to her breast, demonstrating her attachment to him and alluding to a pledge taking place. Tobias, Sarah’s only suitor to live, was protected and guided by the angel. A skull refers to the last bridegroom, and the vessel behind Tobias probably contains the entrails of the fish he burned, to cast out the evil spirit plaguing Sarah.


Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"The Marriage of Tobias and Sarah | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=2010.125