Vann Family's Legacy of Giving Continues with 2 Additions to the European Collection

The Vann family’s long and generous history of donating funds to the Museum for European paintings has been augmented with two significant additions. The first is a Dutch painting, Tobias and the Angel Curing Tobit of Blindness, signed by Simon Hendricksz Van Amersfoort, dated 1630. The subject comes from the apocryphal Book of Tobit, which tells the story of Tobit, his son Tobias, and the Archangel Raphael who cures Tobit of his blindness. The angel, glorious in a white robe and blue cloak, contrasts sharply with the humble, barnyard setting.

The Sorceress, by Georges Merle (1851-1886), was the artist’s submission to the Paris Salon exhibition of 1883. The commanding female figure in the act of performing a spell is likely a subject from literature, although the source has yet to be identified. The mysterious symbolism, including voodoo doll, pentacle, and Egyptian imagery, will be clarified when the origin of the story is known. Until then, the secrets of The Sorceress remain fascinating and perplexing.

The Museum is deeply grateful to siblings William Vann, Robert Vann, and Sally Worthen, whose gift in honor of their parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Allen Vann, continues their family’s legacy of giving. Visit the Dutch 17th-century and European 19th-century galleries to view these new acquisitions.