Koning Hizkia 1577

This engraving of King Hezekiah was made by Johann Sadeler I around 1600. The King is shown standing over broken idols and holding a snake. The image would have resonated with the political climate of its time. Sadeler was working in the Netherlands during the Dutch Revolt, when the Protestant Dutch were fighting for independence from Catholic Spain. The figure of Hezekiah destroying idols would have been a clear reference to the Protestant destruction of Catholic imagery in churches. At the same time, the figure of Hezekiah takes on the visual associations of a Roman emperor, a common trope in the art of this period. The print therefore asks us to consider what constitutes legitimate political rule and authority. To understand this print better we could look at the history of the Dutch Revolt and the role of religious imagery in that conflict. We can then come to a clearer understanding of the politics of imagery and how they play out in the public sphere.