Dood van de godsman door een leeuw 1548 - 1554

Curator: It has a certain stark, dreamlike quality, doesn't it? The high contrast of the engraving... Almost nightmarish, a touch macabre even. Editor: Indeed. What we’re looking at here is an engraving, “Dood van de godsman door een leeuw” which translates to "Death of the man of God by a Lion." Created sometime between 1548 and 1554 by Dirck Volckertsz Coornhert, it's currently housed at the Rijksmuseum. It depicts a scene of…well, pretty much what the title suggests. Curator: Pretty literal! So, immediately I'm drawn to this frenzied energy. The twisting figure of the man, the rearing donkey, even the lion seems almost…caught in mid-roar? It's chaos. What story is Coornhert trying to tell? Editor: The image illustrates a cautionary tale from the Old Testament, specifically 1 Kings 13. It depicts a prophet who disobeyed God’s command not to eat or drink in a certain place. As punishment, he was killed by a lion. A visual sermon, if you will, on obedience and the consequences of defiance. Curator: Ah, right. That’s why there’s a narrative element. Obedience at all costs, even death…grim stuff. But, visually, it is quite striking, all those lines creating form and movement. I appreciate the detail Coornhert manages despite the…gruesome subject. He really captured the ferocity of the lion and the sheer panic of the poor bloke being mauled. Editor: The work certainly participates in broader discourses around religious authority and individual choice at a pivotal moment in European history—the Northern Renaissance, a time rife with social and religious upheaval. The starkness reflects a certain didactic Protestant aesthetic. Curator: The Northern Renaissance’s infatuation with morality… It’s amazing how such dramatic subject matter translates across centuries. The human dilemma remains, I guess. Do we do what's expected, or do we dare to stray? Editor: Precisely. And how societies choose to punish those who do stray. Curator: Always relevant, sadly. Still, despite the unsettling subject, it's strangely beautiful, this delicate dance with death on display. Editor: I agree. Its potency, even after all this time, invites contemplation on obedience, punishment, and the narratives that continue to shape us.