Christus met een sikkel, het beest met de hoorns als van een lam en de zevenkoppige draak before 1646

"Christ with a sickle, the beast with horns like a lamb and the seven-headed dragon" is a woodcut made by Christoffel van Sichem II. This image evokes the intense religious and political climate of the 17th century. Consider the cultural backdrop against which Sichem created this piece, a time marked by the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, where religious imagery was both a tool for devotion and a site of ideological struggle. The figures of Christ, the lamb-like beast, and the seven-headed dragon aren't just figures in a biblical narrative, they are symbols loaded with meaning. How do we interpret this complex iconography today? Sichem uses stark contrasts and detailed lines to draw us into a world of spiritual conflict. It reflects the anxieties of a society grappling with shifting religious landscapes and the ever-present struggle between good and evil, inviting us to reflect on these timeless themes.