Job, Man of Wood
Entry ID
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112 (07/02/2022)
Formal title of the work
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Job, Man of Wood
Description of the sculpture
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Wooden bust of a man’s head carved from lignum vitae. The man is depicted with dreadlocks and a full beard. A small wooden pole connects the head to the wooden base.
URLs where this is recorded/available
Type of object
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Head
Base
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Base present - appears to be the original base
Dimensions
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Height: 63 cm
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Width: 31 cm
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Depth: 31 cm
Materials
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Other
Specific techniques used
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Carving
Overall colour
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Monochrome – brown
Does the Black person have a specific identity?
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Identifiable: person from Bible/Christian saint
Identity of Black person (real or fictive)
Role within sculpture
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Main protagonist
Gender
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Male
Age
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Adult
Status
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Free citizen
Clothing
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No clothes included (head)
Evidence of enslavement
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None
Evidence of 'exotic' status
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None
Action or activity
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Not relevant (head)
Emotional state
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Calm
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Neutral/emotionless
Focus of gaze of Black person
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Looking outwards (engaging viewer)
Sculptural context
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No location included/implied
Sculptor
Place of production
Period of production
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Twentieth century (1900-1999)
Date of Production
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1986
Date inferred from
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Recorded in related documentation
Original purpose
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Decorative
Original display setting
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Unknown
Current owner
Accession number
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S81
Provenance history
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1986, purchased by Wolverhampton Art Gallery with the assistance of the Friends of Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Notes
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This sculpture depicts the Biblical Old Testament figure of Job. Job's transformative struggle with loss and suffering and eventual prosperity is symbolic within the Rastafarian religion of the struggle of the Black race.
Current rights holder
License terms for reuse
http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/934, . (no date) ‘Job, Man of Wood’, Black People in European Sculpture, accessed May 5, 2025, http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/935
