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Tobias instructed by Raphael in the preparation of the fish
Christoph Murer, born 1558 - died 1614 - Enlarge image
Tobias instructed by Raphael in the preparation of the fish
- Object:
Panel
- Place of origin:
Switzerland (designed)
ulm, Germany (possibly, made) - Date:
ca. 1600 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Christoph Murer, born 1558 - died 1614 (designer)
- Materials and Techniques:
Stained glass
- Credit Line:
Purchased with funds from the Murray Bequest
- Museum number:
C.564-1921
- Gallery location:
In Storage
This panel shows a scene from the Old Testament story of Tobias and the Angel. Here the Archangel Raphael (in white) instructs Tobias (in blue) how to prepare the fish to provide various balms that will be used to cure his father’s blindness and drive away demons.
It illustrates one of the new techniques for decorating glass that were introduced in the mid 16th century. Glassmakers used paints known as 'enamels' to paint directly onto the glass, similar to painting onto a canvas. The colours were produced by adding metallic oxides to a ground glass (frit) mixture. The resulting wide colour range included the delicate pinks, yellows, greens, reds and purples shown here.
Christoph Murer (1558-1614) was a distinguished Swiss glass painter. He produced numerous designs for stained glass windows, including a series based on Tobias and the Angel that includes this panel. Although Murer created the design, the actual panel was probably made in a workshop in southern Germany.
