De onthoofding van Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, 1619 1705 - 1707

This etching, made in 1619 by an anonymous artist, captures the execution of Johan van Oldenbarnevelt. The scene, dominated by the scaffold and thronging crowd, evokes a sense of collective justice, yet the banners overhead hint at political motives. Consider the act of beheading itself, a motif resonant through history. From Holofernes in biblical narratives to the French Revolution, it symbolizes a decisive end, a severing not just of life, but of power. Here, the rendering of this event invites us to contemplate the cyclical nature of power, the volatile dance between authority and its subjects. The banners carry inscriptions that intend to justify the action. But, perhaps, this need for justification reveals a deeper anxiety, a subconscious acknowledgment of the act's brutality. Like a recurring dream, this scene replays the eternal drama of human conflict, reminding us that history, rather than progressing linearly, often spirals back upon itself.