Bathsheba Combing Her Hair 1610 - 1620

Willem Pietersz. Buytewech created this print of Bathsheba combing her hair some time in the early 17th century. The scene is taken from the Hebrew Bible and depicts the moment when King David spies Bathsheba bathing and decides he must have her. The Netherlands in the 17th century was a Calvinist country, and images such as these walk a fine line between titillation and moral instruction. Buytewech seems less interested in the latter than the former. He has set the scene in what might be perceived as an exotic locale with architecture inspired by the Italian Renaissance. The purpose is to invite the viewer’s gaze. The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam holds a number of Buytewech's prints and drawings, and an examination of these would likely offer an important context for his treatment of this subject. What are the politics of imagery, and in what ways are social conditions shaping artistic production in the Netherlands at this time?