Zelfmoord van Saul na zijn nederlaag door de Filistijnen 1613

This etching, “Zelfmoord van Saul na zijn nederlaag door de Filistijnen” (Saul’s Suicide after his Defeat by the Philistines), created in 1613 by Italian artist Antonio Tempesta, depicts a scene of chaos and death. The image portrays a battlefield, with the fallen body of King Saul at the foreground. The composition is dominated by a sense of urgency and violence, as a rider on horseback rushes toward the fallen Saul, sword raised. Tempesta’s detailed illustration of the scene, with numerous figures and horses, effectively conveys the brutality of war and the tragic fate of the Israelite King.