Engravingexpand_more
The William Hood Dunwoody Fundexpand_more P.5,881
As Job lost virtue by giving to a beggar, he now gains it by receiving from his friends. This is true charity springing from personal sympathy. One woman even offers Job her gold earring (Job xlii: II).
The heavy cross over Job's head is now broken. Prosperity is shown by the fig tree bearing fruit and the standing wheat. Angels crowd round the margins of the designs with palms of victory, for Job has conquered his pride at last; and below are the roses and lilies of material and spiritual beauty. "The thankful recipient bears a plentiful harvest." (51st proverb of Hell.)
The pioneering Blake scholar Joseph Wicksteed indicates that this illustration is a tender and passionate acknowledgment of his indebtedness to his pupil and patron John Linnell and his wife.
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