The Book of Job: Pl. 3, Thy Sons and thy Daughters were eating and drinking Wine in their / eldest Brothers house

The Book of Job: Pl. 3, Thy Sons and thy Daughters were eating and drinking Wine in their / eldest Brothers house by William Blake, created in 1825, is the third plate in the artist's celebrated series illustrating the biblical narrative of suffering and redemption. This powerful work, executed as a finely detailed engraving, captures the moment of Job’s earthly prosperity before his trials begin. It exemplifies Blake’s late career style, which often integrated complex spiritual themes with highly structured, visionary compositions developed in the United Kingdom.

The plate depicts Job’s ten children gathered in joyful, oblivious revelry, seated around a richly laden table beneath an arcadian setting. Blake uses the medium of engraving to achieve dynamic contrasts of light and shadow, emphasizing both the material comfort of the scene and the fleeting nature of their happiness. This image stands in stark contrast to the spiritual anguish and destruction depicted in later plates of the The Book of Job cycle, positioning the viewer to understand the scale of loss Job is about to endure.

Completed near the end of the artist’s life, this set of prints represents the culmination of Blake’s lifelong engagement with profound biblical and philosophical texts, solidifying his reputation as a master of spiritual illustration in the Romantic period. The original plates were published by Blake’s patron John Linnell, ensuring a wide circulation of these masterful prints. This specific impression of the 1825 engraving resides in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is preserved as a significant example of early 19th-century British printmaking.