Saul en de heks van Endor (?) 1640

This pencil drawing, tentatively titled 'Saul en de heks van Endor,' was created by Leonaert Bramer, likely in the mid-17th century. We see a biblical scene showing Saul, the first king of Israel, meeting with the Witch of Endor. Looking at this sketch, we might consider how images can serve as a site of social tension. Bramer was working in the Dutch Republic, a Protestant nation that had recently thrown off the rule of Catholic Spain. The story of Saul consulting a witch could have had particular resonance with a society grappling with questions of religious authority and the occult. Was Bramer sympathetic to popular beliefs, or was he, perhaps, reinforcing the orthodox view that such practices were dangerous and heretical? These kinds of questions demand a deeper engagement with the culture of the time, looking at sermons, pamphlets, and other visual representations to understand the wider context of this image. The meaning of art is always dependent on social and institutional context.