Job on the Ash Heap

Job on the Ash Heap by Ribera, painted in 1632, depicts the suffering patriarch at his lowest point. Job's patient endurance of undeserved suffering made him a powerful biblical exemplar of faith under trial. Ribera's technique combined meticulous drawing from life with bold Caravaggesque chiaroscuro, applied in oil on canvas using impastoed highlights over transparent warm-toned grounds. His Neapolitan workshop produced works for Spanish viceroys, Italian nobles, and religious institutions a...

Job's diseased body and agonized expression are rendered with Ribera's unflinching naturalism. The dramatic lighting focuses on the afflicted flesh in a powerful image of righteous suffering.