Koning Saul stort zich in zijn zwaard 1611

Curator: This engraving from 1611, created by Willem van Swanenburg, depicts a rather dramatic moment. The work is titled "Koning Saul stort zich in zijn zwaard," or "King Saul throws himself on his sword." It resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: The first thing that strikes me is its theatricality, which one expects in the baroque. It’s not just Saul's death, but a performance of it, limbs akimbo, face contorted. Is he centre stage, reclaiming some agency at his end? Curator: It’s certainly charged with emotional intensity. As a piece illustrating social and institutional powers, it mirrors many aspects of conflict resolution through the performative aspect of public mourning. Swanenburg renders the scene with incredibly detailed linework, and considers the fall of the first King of Israel. What could it say about governance or the fall of dynasties? Editor: Well, look at the broken crown lying beneath his foot. The politics of imagery always serves power, right? Here, perhaps we see the transition of power legitimized, in the sense that an ignoble suicide justifies the end of a problematic reign, and the coming of a new, more virtuous, leader. The crown cast down could very much be read as a signifier for the future legitimacy. But it's interesting, the focus is placed on Saul alone at this key moment in history, suggesting the story can be about individual failing as much as historical change. Curator: Indeed. Perhaps this print also examines broader societal issues, like gender and power, or who history remembers, and on what terms. Do we valorize heroic martyrdom here? I am especially interested in the depiction of Saul, the body itself acting as an active site of trauma within the broader cultural and historical setting of conflict and change. It resonates with larger conversations of power, the body and self-sacrifice in the early 17th Century. Editor: Agreed. I find it very striking. Thanks for this perspective on Saul, a man trapped between social roles and his individual plight! Curator: And thank you! Looking closely at these issues reminds us that this image’s resonance spans far beyond one single historical incident.