Bestraffing van Hendrik Verhoef, 1677 1677

This 1677 broadside, “Bestraffing van Hendrik Verhoef,” depicts the execution of Hendrik Verhoef, a silversmith, in The Hague. The anonymous print, now in the Rijksmuseum, portrays a graphic scene of the punishment as Verhoef is being tortured, seemingly on a rack, by a group of executioners in the presence of other onlookers. The image was likely created as a warning against crime and to highlight the severity of the law. The detailed text, which includes the date of execution, provides a historical account of the event.