Onthoofding van de graveur Cornelis de Hooghe, 1583 1789

Theodoor Koning's "Onthoofding van de graveur Cornelis de Hooghe, 1583" (1789) is a detailed etching depicting the beheading of Cornelis de Hooghe. The scene is set in an open courtyard with a building in the background, suggesting the execution took place in a public square. The executioner stands over a kneeling figure, a sword held in his hand. The victim, bound and blindfolded, kneels in prayer as the crowd witnesses the grim event. The etching, now held in the Rijksmuseum, highlights the stark reality of public executions in 16th century Holland.