Tobias and the Angel; and Jacob selling his Birthright

The present paintings seem to date from the early years of Lippi's life, prior to 1640, when he was influenced by, and working closely with, Matteo Rosselli (1578-1650). Though of different dimensions, these works may be connnected with the commission of a series of eight octagonal canvases depicting Old Testament subjects from the Seminario Minore, Montughi, now in the Seminario Maggiore, Florence. The Jacob selling his Birthright is a version of Lippi's paintings for this series, which also included works by other noted painters including Jacopo Vignali (1592-1664) (The Finding of Moses, Seminario Maggiore, Florence). The Tobias and the Angel is a hitherto unrecorded painting. Apparently the Seminario Maggiore paintings were found in the Monastary of San Benedetto where they had been left by Gabriello Zuti in 1680. He records in 1679 that they were dedicated to the lives of the brothers of San Benedetto Bianco (see Chiara d'Aflitto, in the catalogue of the exhibition, Il Seicento Fiorentino, Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, Dec. 21, 1986-March 4, 1987, pp. 340-1, no. 1.179).