Wedding of Tobias and Sarah 1668

Curator: Welcome. Today, we're looking at Jan Steen's "The Wedding of Tobias and Sarah," painted around 1668. It's currently housed at the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum in Braunschweig, Germany. Editor: It’s busy! So many figures, crammed into what feels like a very tactile space. I'm immediately struck by the rich, almost cloying density of textures: the fabrics, the sheen on the wood, even the light seems thick. Curator: Absolutely. Steen masterfully blends genre painting with historical and religious themes. This depicts the biblical story from the Book of Tobit. See how Tobias, guided by the Archangel Raphael, marries Sarah, freeing her from a demon who killed her previous seven husbands? Editor: The material reality of this scene overshadows that religious narrative, almost undermining it. Look at the labor involved in producing the objects within the painting—the wine being tapped from the barrel, the scribe meticulously drafting the marriage contract, the very garments they wear...each of these shows different areas of making and labour and consumption within 17th century society. The earthly reality really holds your gaze. Curator: The artist infuses every character with symbolism. Sarah represents deliverance, and Tobias faith. But it’s true that he gives each character in the painting a grounded humanity through the detailed painting of garments, textures and materials. The figures at the table remind me of a scene of solemn covenant but there is that playful dog sniffing around on the floor, undermining the gravity. The play of the dog makes it feel like a family scene. Editor: It raises questions about who benefits from all of this production? Who’s pouring the wine and signing the contract? And to what end? It makes me wonder if we shouldn’t consider what it says about labour and value within domestic sphere. Curator: That’s an interesting way to think about the symbolic layers of “The Wedding of Tobias and Sarah” that Jan Steen represents. It invites questions about labor, divinity, domesticity, and salvation that have continued to fascinate for centuries. Editor: Indeed. Reflecting on the tangible elements here brings us back to an awareness of the everyday grind that underlines these supposed sacred events, which ultimately challenges that line that divides material realities with greater meaning.