Job

God has abandoned the virtuous Job to the Devil. Having lost everything, he sits in abject misery while demons torment him. Holding a plumed hat and gold chain, symbols of his former wealth, Job’s wife challenges him: "Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die." Lievens painted this in competition with Rembrandt, his friend and rival. Both artists sought to find compelling and novel means of exploring emotional states. Job’s mute but powerfully expressive body conveys his resignation to divine will. Frame: carved wood, gilded. Britain, second-half 17th – early 18th century after a French model