Job 1609 - 1672

This small print, of unknown date and by an anonymous hand, depicts Job from the Old Testament. He is shown beset by trials: Satan afflicts him with sores, his wife questions his faith, and in the background, fire consumes his possessions. The print's visual language is rooted in religious and social anxieties. The figure of Satan, a hybrid of human and animal, embodies the fear of the irrational and the bestial. Job's suffering reflects the common human struggle with faith in the face of inexplicable hardship, a theme that resonated deeply in early modern Europe, a time marked by religious conflict and social upheaval. The inclusion of a text quoting Job emphasizes the importance of his story as a test of faith. Understanding this image demands that we delve into the religious and social contexts that gave rise to it. Religious texts, popular sermons, and contemporary social conditions all serve as valuable resources for interpreting the print's enduring message of faith and resilience.