David wordt door Samuël gezalfd 1645 - 1646

Christoffel van Sichem II created this woodcut titled 'David Anointed by Samuel’. The scene is set indoors and rendered almost entirely in black and white. The composition is built around stark lines and contrasting light and dark patterns. The eye is immediately drawn to the checkerboard floor, a grid that destabilizes our sense of depth and perspective. The room is filled with figures, yet the stark lines give each a distinct form. Van Sichem uses hatching to suggest depth and shadow, building a complex visual architecture. Note how the lines create both pattern and form, a subtle but powerful manipulation of visual space. The piece reflects the symbolic frameworks typical of the time. The woodcut's stark contrast and geometric underpinnings serve not only an aesthetic function but also reinforce the complex cultural and philosophical ideas about divine right. The composition invites us to consider how such forms can challenge fixed meanings, engaging with new ways of thinking about power and representation.