Job and His Wife Restored to Prosperity

Job and His Wife Restored to Prosperity by William Blake is a profound example of the artist's late-career engagement with Biblical themes, completed in 1825. This particular piece is an intricate engraving executed on India paper. The work derives from Blake’s celebrated illustrations for the Book of Job, which visualize the culmination of Job’s trials and his eventual reconciliation with divine favor. This specific plate depicts Job and his wife, having endured immense suffering, now receiving the blessing of renewed stability, health, and family.

Created during the period spanning 1801 to 1825, this piece embodies the spiritual intensity characteristic of Romanticism while retaining Blake’s highly personal iconography. The technique of engraving on India paper allowed Blake to achieve a remarkable clarity and definition in his line work, reflecting the stylistic precision favored in many British prints of the early 19th century. Blake utilized dense networks of line and stipple to model the figures and convey a sense of heavenly radiance surrounding the couple, signifying their return to grace. The delicacy of the India paper further enhances the intricate detail achieved through the engraving process.

The composition emphasizes symmetry and divine order, signaling the conclusion of Job’s tribulations. Instead of focusing solely on the material wealth returned to them, Blake’s interpretation stresses spiritual restoration, often depicted through surrounding angelic or celestial figures present in the larger series. This enduring visual interpretation of faith and endurance remains a cornerstone of the artist’s prolific output. As one of Blake’s final significant projects, the Job illustrations are revered for their visionary quality and technical mastery. This exemplary work, Job and His Wife Restored to Prosperity, is held in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, ensuring its preservation and accessibility.