Steniging van de H. Stefanus before 1646

This woodcut of the Stoning of St. Stephen was created by Christoffel van Sichem II, an artist working in the Northern Netherlands in the early 17th century. As a biblical scene, it is hardly unusual, but the context of the image is key to our understanding of it. The Dutch Republic was in the midst of its Eighty Years’ War of Independence from the Catholic Spanish Empire. Sichem lived and worked in the newly independent city of Amsterdam, which had become a haven for religious refugees from across Europe. Despite a tolerant public culture, religious tensions were high. This print reminds the viewer of the dangers of religious fanaticism and the persecution of those with differing beliefs. The heavenly vision above the walls and the presence of Saul – later St. Paul – holding the cloaks of the executioners, also serve to reinforce the truth of the Christian faith. To understand the image better, it is worth comparing it with earlier and later depictions of the same scene and examining Dutch religious culture more broadly, especially the role of printmaking in shaping public opinion.