Flemish School, 17th century

Anonymous sale, Monte Carlo, Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo, 13 February 2025, lot 40;

Where acquired by the present owner.

The present painting depicts the dramatic biblical episode from the Book of Job, emphasizing the saint’s physical suffering and spiritual trial through heightened gesture, expressive figures, and strong chiaroscuro. The contorted body of Job, tormented by demonic figures, contrasts sharply with the accusatory stance of his wife, reinforcing the moral and emotional tension central to the narrative.

The composition is closely related to a lost painting by Peter Paul Rubens that once hung in St. Nicholas’s Church in Brussels and was destroyed during the bombardment of the city in 1695. Knowledge of Rubens’s original is preserved through an engraving made in reverse by Lucas Vorsterman (1595–1675), now in the Louvre. The present work follows the same orientation as Vorsterman’s print rather than Rubens’s original painting, underscoring the important role of reproductive engravings in disseminating Rubens’s compositions and inspiring subsequent painted interpretations within the Flemish tradition.