Preekstoel met Lam Gods 1727 - 1771

Emanuel Eichel created this design for a pulpit, titled "Preekstoel met Lam Gods", using etching. The eye is immediately drawn to the intricate detail and dense ornamentation. A play between light and shadow enhances the depth and texture of the design, giving a tactile quality to the printed lines. The composition, symmetrical yet teeming with rococo flourishes, invites a reading of power and divine authority. Structurally, the design uses a vertical axis, grounding the symbolic weight of the pulpit, while its ornate extensions reach outwards. The symbolic 'Lam Gods', or Lamb of God, at the pinnacle, is not merely a religious icon, but a semiotic signifier of sacrifice and purity. The careful arrangement of volutes and curves serves to amplify the visual impact, directing the viewer's gaze and reinforcing the symbolic function. The dynamism in the etching represents the changing social and religious context, and the structure embodies not just a physical form but a convergence of cultural values, power dynamics, and aesthetic expressions of its time.