Jozef wordt door zijn broers uit put getrokken 1645 - 1646

This woodcut, made by Christoffel van Sichem II, illustrates the biblical story of Joseph being pulled from the pit by his brothers. Here, the pit is more than a mere hole; it’s a symbol of betrayal, a dark descent into the depths of human cruelty. This motif echoes through time; consider the harrowing descents in Dante’s Inferno or the dark wells of Greek tragedies. Each era finds its own pit, a physical or metaphorical space where humanity confronts its darkest impulses. But observe the rope, the instrument of rescue. Ropes recur across cultures, not only as tools for literal salvation but as allegories for connection, for the fragile bonds that either lift us from despair or bind us to it. This image, charged with tension, evokes deep psychological resonances. The act of pulling is not only physical but also psychological, mirroring our own struggles to retrieve ourselves from the depths of our personal pits.