Antigonus in een gewelf vermoord door de lijfwacht van zijn broer Aristobulus 1574

This engraving by Christoffel van Sichem I depicts the assassination of Antigonus by his brother's guards. Here, the architectural elements evoke classical antiquity, featuring arches and symmetrical forms reminiscent of Roman structures. The arch has long served as a symbol of transition and passage. Consider Roman triumphal arches, designed to celebrate military victories and the power of the state. This symbol has evolved through time, appearing in Christian iconography as portals to sacred spaces. The arches in Sichem’s engraving frame the unfolding drama, suggesting a fatal transition. The victim kneels with arms outstretched, a posture of supplication or surrender, a gesture that reappears across cultures and eras, from ancient religious rituals to modern acts of contrition. The viewer is drawn into the emotional intensity of the scene, the terror and the suddenness of betrayal. The cyclical nature of power and violence is revealed through motifs that recur across time, echoing in our collective memory. These visual echoes remind us that the past is never truly gone.