Het sacrament van de ziekenzalving 1712 - 1786

"Het sacrament van de ziekenzalving" – or "The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick" – is an engraving by Giovanni Marco Pitteri. It portrays a somber scene, likely intended to elicit introspection on mortality. Consider the cultural context of 18th-century Europe, where death was an intimate part of life and religion played a central role in how people understood their existence. Here, we see a man on his deathbed, attended by clergy members administering a final sacrament, a ritual act of anointing. It's a moment imbued with both spiritual significance and human emotion. The figures, frozen in their roles, represent the intersection of religious doctrine, societal expectation, and deeply personal grief. The image, however, begs the question, who is missing? Where are the women? Where is the community? What does it mean to die alone? The answer perhaps lies in the story the image tells, not just of death, but of a society grappling with its own values and beliefs. As you observe this engraving, consider not just the religious symbolism, but the human experience of death and the structures that surround it.