(Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
A painting by the Dutch artist Jacob Cornelisz. van Oostsanen (1475 - 1533). This painting depicts a scene from the Bible (1 Samuel 28:3-25). According to the story Saul, the first king of the people of Israel, becomes fearful on the eve of a battle with the Philistines. Saul first tries to console with God but god doe not answers Saul's prayers - either by prophets or by dreams. Saul then consoles a witch in the city of Endor (the current location of this ancient site is unknown) to discover how the war will turn out. The witch summons up the spirit of the dead priest Samuel, who announces that God has turned away from Saul because of his godlessness, and that as a result Saul will lose the war and David will soon become king in his place. The text scrolls in the upper left corner describe that the painting is about Saul but on the painting itself he seems to have a secondary role. On the left Saul can be seen with his men asking the witch for advice. Through the archway you can see a man standing in a tomb - this is Samuel (the text scroll identifies the tomb as 'Samuel's grave'). In the background a battle is seen with the suicide of Saul. In the foreground is a so-called witches’ sabbath with the witch of Endor in the circle and bare to the waist. She is surrounded by satyrs, fantastical creatures and other witches. The witch of Endor is reading from a book, trying to summon something or a spell. The combination of the story of Saul and the witches’ sabbath is rare - Oostsanen uses it to provide a moral example of the fate in store for those who break the divine commandment by engaging in witchcraft and heresy. This painting was made in 1526, the time of the Protestant Reformation - perhaps the unknown donor intended the painting to be an moral warning against Protestantism.
