Art Institute of Chicago

Job

Spanish, possibly Seville; or Italian, possibly Naples

Date

c. 1618–c. 1630

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

Spain

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The Latin inscription emerging from the old man’s mouth—NOLI ME CONDEMNARE (“do not condemn me”)—comes from the biblical story of Job, whose piety withstood the test of a series of dire misfortunes. With his hunched posture and torn clothing, he appears resigned to his hardships. The painting’s realism and strong contrasts of light and dark characterize the work of the international followers of Italian painter Caravaggio. Although the artist remains unknown, the painting was probably made in Seville, Spain, in the artistic orbit of artists like Francisco de Zurbarán and Diego Velázquez , or by an artist in Naples, which was then part of the Spanish Empire.

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