Tobias and the Angel

The descendant of a family of artists from Verona, Cignaroli was born in Turin in about 1730 and trained as an apprentice in his father’s studio, where he came into contact with the art of Veneto and the influ-ence of Bologna, and with some influences also from northern Europe. Documents show that in 1749 he was at the Court of the Savoy as a landscape painter, and that he worked considerably in the resi-dences in Moncalieri, Rivoli, and Venaria. In 1782 he was appointed “Royal Painter of Landscapes and Bucolic Scenes” by Victor Amadeus III. The works in the Museum collection were donated by Ambrogio della Chà, who purchased them from Pietro Accorsi. They include a group of biblical scenes, of which this canvas is one. The inclusion of biblical episodes in sweeping landscapes reveals the artist’s interest in painting from life.