A detailed 1753 etching by Georg Friedrich Schmidt, depicting a scene from the Book of Tobit based on a composition by Rembrandt.

This etching by Georg Friedrich Schmidt depicts a scene from the Book of Tobit, a narrative found in the deuterocanonical texts. The composition is based on a painting attributed to Rembrandt, reflecting the influence of the Dutch master on eighteenth-century printmakers. Schmidt, a skilled engraver and etcher, demonstrates his technical proficiency through the varied line work used to define the textures of the figures' garments, the stone architecture, and the foliage overhead.

The scene shows the elderly, blind Tobias seated on a bench, his hands clasped in a gesture of resignation or prayer. Beside him sits his wife, Anna, who holds a spindle and appears to be mocking him. The domestic tension is palpable, set against a backdrop that includes a small goat and a distant architectural structure. The use of light and shadow, or chiaroscuro, creates a sense of depth and focus on the two central figures. The vine-covered trellis provides a natural frame for the interaction, softening the rigid lines of the stone wall and the bench.

Schmidt was known for his ability to translate the painterly qualities of Dutch Golden Age works into the medium of print. This work captures the psychological weight of the biblical story, focusing on the human condition rather than grand spectacle. The inclusion of the dog at Tobias's feet and the goat nearby adds a layer of mundane reality to the narrative. The print serves as an example of the eighteenth-century interest in reproducing and interpreting earlier masterpieces, allowing these compositions to reach a wider audience of collectors and scholars. The fine hatching and cross-hatching techniques employed by Schmidt reveal his command over the copper plate, resulting in a print that maintains the tonal complexity of the original painted source.