Henoch en zijn gezin 1586

This is Johann Sadeler the First’s “Henoch en zijn gezin,” made sometime in the late 16th century. The composition unfolds across a horizontal plane, divided into distinct zones connected by line and form. A family gathers in the foreground, framed by a rustic structure, while a bustling scene unfolds on a bridge in the midground, set against a landscape. The artist uses line to define the figures and architecture, creating a sense of depth and texture through hatching and cross-hatching. The forms are classical, yet they’re situated in an earthly environment filled with textures. This juxtaposition destabilizes the traditional biblical narrative by embedding it within a domestic setting. The very structure of the engraving, with its detailed rendering of everyday life, invites a reconsideration of how we perceive the sacred within the mundane. The formal elements work together to suggest that the divine is not separate but is part of the same reality, challenging viewers to reconsider fixed meanings about holiness and domesticity.