Job and His Family

Job and His Family is a key engraving created by William Blake in 1825, near the end of the artist’s life. This highly spiritual piece is executed as an intricate engraving on thick paper, demonstrating Blake's mastery of both relief and intaglio processes. The work originates from the renowned Illustrations of the Book of Job, a series generally considered the ultimate achievement of the artist's graphic career. Produced during the period spanning 1801 to 1825, this print embodies the intense, visionary character typical of late British Romanticism.

Blake’s interpretation of the Old Testament Book of Job focuses less on chronological narrative and more on the psychological and spiritual dimensions of suffering, despair, and eventual redemption through faith. As part of a portfolio, this specific plate depicts Job and his family experiencing either their initial prosperity or their final restoration, utilizing highly symbolic figuration. The detailed execution inherent in the engraving process allowed Blake to achieve a strong contrast between light and shadow, emphasizing the complex theological lessons embedded within the narrative. Blake used a unique iconographic language, combining neoclassical linearity with profoundly personal mystical visions.

The technical precision and spiritual depth of this work ensure its lasting significance in the history of prints and Western art. The entire suite of illustrations was commissioned by the painter John Linnell and subsequently published in 1826. Since the work's creation, the illustrations have been widely reproduced, with many early impressions and subsequent reproductions now residing in the public domain. This specific example of the engraving on thick paper is preserved in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, offering scholars and the public crucial insight into the final, influential creative decade of Blake's career.