Landscape with Tobias and the Angel

Tobias and the angel Raphael journey through a landscape in this 1670 painting at the Musee des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg, one of Rosa"s last works before his death in 1673. The story of Tobias—a young man guided by a disguised angel through dangerous territory—attracted numerous painters, but Rosa characteristically transforms the journey into an encounter with wild, overwhelming nature. The late date shows Rosa still painting with energy and conviction at the end of his life.

The two travelers move through a landscape of characteristically Rosian grandeur, with massive trees and rocky terrain dwarfing the human and angelic figures. Rosa"s late brushwork shows the confidence of long practice, building complex landscape forms with economical strokes. The palette favors the cooler, more atmospheric tones of his final period, with blues and grays prominent alongside the familiar earth tones.