Foltering: van een toren duwen en onderdompeling in kokende vloeistof 1565 - 1630

This print, "Foltering: van een toren duwen en onderdompeling in kokende vloeistof," was created by Antonio Tempesta. Measuring 194 by 133 millimeters, it’s currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. The composition is striking: two distinct scenes of torture are stacked vertically, creating a disturbing visual hierarchy. Above, figures hurl a body from a high tower. Below, another man is about to be immersed in a cauldron of boiling liquid. The artist's use of line is particularly noteworthy. The figures are delineated with sharp, precise lines, emphasizing their muscular forms and the brutal energy of their actions. The print engages with the theme of power and suffering. It destabilizes any sense of moral order. The architectural elements in the background – the tower, the arches – serve as stark reminders of the structures of authority that enable such violence. Through its formal elements, this work presents a meditation on the human capacity for cruelty and the ways in which power can corrupt and destroy.