Foltering: het afstropen van de huid 1565 - 1630

"Foltering: het afstropen van de huid" is a 16th-century etching by Italian artist Antonio Tempesta, now in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The etching depicts a gruesome scene of flaying, with three men bound and being skinned alive. Tempesta's meticulous detail and dramatic use of light and shadow create a powerful image that explores themes of pain, torture, and the fragility of the human body. His use of etching allowed for the creation of highly detailed and expressive images, contributing to the growth of printmaking as a major artistic medium in the 16th and 17th centuries.