The Messengers Tell Job of His Misfortunes
1825
Medium
engraving with border in graphite on thick paper
Classification
Portfolio
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.1670
Art Historical Context
In the poignant engraving *The Messengers Tell Job His Misfortunes*1825), William Blake a pivotal moment from the Book of Job in the Bible, where grim messengers rush to inform the righteous Job of his devastating losses—his livestock, servants, and children. Created late in Blake's life, this work is part of his monumental *Illustrations of the Book Job*, a series of22 engravings that profound spiritual inquiry with dramatic visual storytelling. As a key figure in British Romanticism, Blake infused his art with mystical vision and moral depth, portraying Job's trials as a profound test of fai...
About the Artist
William Blake · 1757–1827
William Blake (1757–1827) stands as one of the most visionary and unconventional artists in British history, a poet-painter-printmaker whose mystical imagination and radical vision profoundly shaped the Romantic movement. Born in London's Soho district, Blake experienced visions from childhood—claiming to see angels in trees at age eight—and these spiritual encounters would guide his art throughou...