The affliction of job, as painted by Jusepe de Ribera: A dermatological observation going back to the 17th century

Medical exegeses of the Book of Job have generated an abundance of diagnostic hypotheses for the eponymous biblical protagonist. The dermatological diagnoses alone include pellagra, leprosy, syphilis, smallpox, scabies, staphylococcal abscesses, psoriasis and pemphigus. ¹ This pathographic one‐upmanship might be due to (i) the number of translations (Hebrew, Greek, Latin) and biblical versions; (ii) culturally and metaphorically changing perceptions of the terms used to describe diseases. ² The semiological poverty is accentuated by the polysemy of the translations (‘boils’, ‘sores’, ‘ulcers’, ‘pustules’, ‘scabs’…) and the absence of a precise time scale for the disease's appearance. Few researchers have conducted an iconodiagnostic analysis of works depicting Job, with the exception of the following works devoted to byzantine illuminations, ³ codices ⁴ and paintings (notably by Dürer, who lived through the plague). ² , ⁵

The painting known as ‘Job on the Ash Heap’ (Figure 1a) was long in the possession of a family of Genoan nobles and resurfaced very recently. It has been attributed to Jusepe de Ribera (1591–1652, called Lo Spagnoletto), a painter and engraver who settled in Naples. ⁶ De Ribera depicts the biblical passage Job 2:7–10 (a story also present in the Book of Deuteronomy), in which the eponymous protagonist is sitting on a heap of ashes or manure (depending on the translation) and is afflicted from ‘the sole of his foot unto his crown’ head to toe by ‘loathsome sores’, which he scratches with a potshard. His wife (whose clothes were transposed from the land of Uz to 17th‐century Italy) is urging him to turn away from God. In line with the Christian pictural tradition (whether as a painting or an illumination), Job is shown here as being destitute. The pale, scrawny man looks younger (around 40) than in other depictions of Job and presents with blepharitis (Figure 1b). The localized, polymorphous lesions—one on the scapula (Figure 1c), one on the hip and several on the legs (Figure 1d)—are accentuated by the tenebroso background and the light coming from the left side. The ulcerated lesion on the shoulder blade stands out because of its round, well‐delimited aspect, with a slightly raised, pearly edge. This aspect is suggestive of an infiltrative basocellular carcinoma and echoes an iconodiagnosis in an earlier painting. ⁷ The lesion on the left thigh is linear and appears to be an incision made with the potshard. The ulcers on the anterior aspect of each tibia are red, budding, shiny and exudative, with a well‐delimited boundary. The lesion on the left leg might be necrotic. However, the aetiology of these atypical leg ulcers is difficult to determine

FIGURE 1.

(a) Jusepe de Ribera. Job on the Ash Heap. c. 1630. Oil on canvas, 140 × 187.7 cm. Private European Collection. Art Digital Studio © Sotheby's. (b), (c), (d): close up.

Son of a shoemaker, grown up with the cutting of leather, Ribera is one of the great painter of the skin. In an expression of artistic freedom, de Ribera's depiction strayed from the biblical description—maybe Spanish or Italian ones ⁸ —of extensive lesions from head to toe. However, many works from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance depict Job as a thin, old man with no skin lesions. In contrast, Henry II of France's Book of Hours and certain codices ³ show Job with several distinct lesions. De Ribera had an eye for observation, as indicated by the many iconodiagnoses made on his body of works; in order to illustrate Job's misery, would he have combined several skin diseases?

It is thought that ‘Job on the Ash Heap’ was painted in around 1630 ⁶ —a period when Naples' power was growing rapidly and marked by the eruption of Vesuvius in 1631. The Europe‐wide shock in response to the eruption might have prompted an interpretation of this natural disaster as a prophetic in religious and political terms. ⁹ After the eruption, certain works of art testify to a moral and civic resurgence. ⁹ In line with the allegorical significance of certain of de Ribera's works for the city of Naples, ¹⁰ might Job's wounds evoke the city's trials? The eruption might explain the recurrence of the theme of Job—otherwise rare in Baroque paintings, and de Ribera's first depiction of an episode from the Old Testament. ⁶ Does the ash—perhaps the cause of the small hip lesion—correspond to that spat out of Mount Vesuvius? Was de Ribera trying to put the religious zeal of the painting's commissioner and his circle to the test after this natural disaster? Even though the painting differs semiologically from the biblical account, it remains faithful to the latter's spirit. Indeed, Job appears to be deaf to his wife's injunctions when confronted with the onset of disease. Despite everything, he continues to lift his eyes to the heavens.

FUNDING INFORMATION

No funding.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

No conflict of interest to disclose.

ETHICS STATEMENT

This study does not involve humans nor animals subjects.

Lefrère B, Kluger N. The affliction of job, as painted by Jusepe de Ribera: A dermatological observation going back to the 17th century. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2025;39:269–271. 10.1111/jdv.20241

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The data that support the findings of this study are available from Sotheby's. Restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under licence for this study. Data are available from the authors with the permission of Sotheby.