The Return of Tobias tapestry

The tapestry entitled The Return of Tobias was created in Aubusson in the 18th century from a cartoon designed in 1715 by Antoine Coypel for the Old Testament tapestry woven by the Gobelins. Born in 1661, Antoine Coypel was a history painter and was appointed king’s painter in 1716.

The tapestry depicts an episode from the Book of Tobias, an apocryphal book of the Old Testament. Accompanied by the archangel Raphael, Tobias returns to his father with a fish gall to cure his blindness.

The scene plays out in an architectural setting of three archways, in front of a background landscape. On the left, the blind father, is rising from his chair to welcome the young Tobias. There are two female characters present in the scene: Anna, mother of Tobias, and possibly Sarah, his wife.