In 1640, as his final year approached, Peter Paul Rubens returned to the Book of Job—a theme he had explored decades earlier—creating Job seated on a dunghill between his wife and his three friends (Job 1-42), after. What makes this work remarkable is that it stands as a late meditation by the aging master on suffering and faith, drawn from one of the most harrowing tales in the Old Testament. The painting’s composition is known through engravings and workshop copies, as the original’s medium and whereabouts remain uncertain, adding a layer of mystery to its legacy.

Rubens’s fascination with Job’s ordeal echoed the turbulent times of the Thirty Years’ War, when questions of endurance and divine justice were far from academic. At the heart of the scene sits Job, gaunt and humbled, on a dunghill—a literal and symbolic low point. His wife stands beside him, her gesture imploring or accusing, while the three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, gather in debate. Rubens chooses the moment when Job, ravaged by sores and loss, is pressed by those closest to him to curse God and surrender hope.

The artist’s energetic brushwork, seen in surviving versions, animates the figures: Job’s exposed flesh and downturned gaze speak of pain, while the friends’ rich robes and expressive hands suggest both concern and condemnation. Compared to Rembrandt’s introspective Job on the Dunghill, Rubens’s treatment is more theatrical, emphasizing the drama of confrontation rather than solitary endurance. The precise fate of Rubens’s original painting is unclear—no signed canvas is known today, and the work is primarily recognized through engravings and studio copies. This ambiguity has led to ongoing debate among scholars about its authorship and original appearance.

Nevertheless, the composition’s influence is evident in the many versions produced by Rubens’s workshop and followers, attesting to its importance in his late oeuvre. Today, the scene survives as a testament to Rubens’s enduring engagement with biblical narrative and to the broader Baroque fascination with the extremes of human experience.