Job Conversing with his Friends
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Leo Wallerstein
Accession Number
1950-131-93
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Job Conversing with Friends** (1547 is a poignant print by Hans Sebald Beham, a leading figure among the German "Little Masters" of the Northern Renaissance. Born in Nuremberg around 1500, Beham excelled in intricate engravings that captured biblical narratives with remarkable detail and emotional depth. This work depicts a key moment from the Book of Job where the afflicted patriarch engages in debate with his three friends—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—amid his trials of suffering and faith. Created late in Beham's career, just three years before his death in 1550, it reflects the era's fasc...