Saul and the Witch of Endor conjuring up the spirit of Samuel
John Michael Rysbrack (Antwerp 1684 – London 1770)
Category
Art / Drawings and watercolours
Date
1763 - 1767
Materials
Ink, wash, chalk and paper
Measurements
332 x 260 mm
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Stourhead, Wiltshire
NT 733123
Summary
Pen and ink with brown and grey wash and red chalk heightened with white, on paper, Saul and the Witch of Endor conjuring up the spirit of Samuel by John Michael Rysbrack (Antwerp 1694 – London 1770). Saul kneels beside a burning cauldron, while the Witch casts a spell with herbs &c.; two frightened attendants stand behind the conjured. As related in the biblical book of Samuel I (28:3-25), the Witch of Endor was a medium who apparently summoned the prophet Samuel’s spirit at King Saul’s command. She appears in Handel’s Saul (1738).
Provenance
Bought by Henry Hoare (1705-1785) at artist's sale, 14 February 1767, lot 70; Bequeathed to the National Trust along with Stourhead House, its grounds, and the rest of the contents by Sir Henry Hugh Arthur Hoare, 6th Bt (1865 – 1947) in 1946.
Credit line
Stourhead, The Hoare Collection (National Trust)
Makers and roles
John Michael Rysbrack (Antwerp 1684 – London 1770), artist