Manuscript Illumination with Tobit, Tobias, and the Archangel Raphael in an Initial O, from an Antiphonary

Manuscript Illumination with Tobit, Tobias, and the Archangel Raphael in an Initial O, from an Antiphonary

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Book of Tobit, found in medieval Bibles and in Roman Catholic and Orthodox Bibles today, stresses obedience to God's law; respect for parents; the importance of prayer, fasting, and charity; and the protective power of angels. Here, Tobit, a righteous Israelite, bedridden and blind, gives advice to his young son, as articulated in the chant that this scene heralds: "Bless God at all times. And petition him that he direct your ways." Neither father nor son realizes that the boy's companion and guardian is the archangel Raphael.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Manuscript Illumination with Tobit, Tobias, and the Archangel Raphael in an Initial O, from an AntiphonaryManuscript Illumination with Tobit, Tobias, and the Archangel Raphael in an Initial O, from an AntiphonaryManuscript Illumination with Tobit, Tobias, and the Archangel Raphael in an Initial O, from an AntiphonaryManuscript Illumination with Tobit, Tobias, and the Archangel Raphael in an Initial O, from an AntiphonaryManuscript Illumination with Tobit, Tobias, and the Archangel Raphael in an Initial O, from an Antiphonary

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.