Jefta geeft zijn dochter toestemming om de bergen in te gaan 1643

Nicolaes Ryckmans created this engraving, "Jephthah Giving His Daughter Permission to Go into the Mountains," sometime in the early 17th century. The composition is strikingly divided, both thematically and spatially. On the right, we see Jephthah and his armed retinue, depicted with rigid, almost geometric forms, signifying order and authority. Their stance is formal, reflecting the weight of Jephthah's vow to sacrifice whatever comes first out of his house. This contrasts sharply with the left side, where Jephthah's daughter and her companions are arranged in dynamic, flowing lines, expressing vulnerability and sorrow. The landscape behind them is open, suggesting a temporary escape from the rigid social structures. Ryckman’s use of line and space guides our reading of the image, setting up a dialectic between duty and freedom, public and private, the weight of a vow and individual sorrow.