Death of Agag
1866
In this dramatic scene from Gustave Doré’s famous 1866 Bible illustrations, the prophet Samuel (standing tall in robes on the left) oversees the brutal execution of King Agag. The story comes from the book of 1 Samuel, where God commands the total destruction of the Amalekites, a task King Saul had cowardly failed to complete. Surrounded by a chaotic mob of soldiers raising swords and spears to the heavens, the kneeling Agag awaits his fate. Doré, a master of the Romantic movement, used incredible engraving techniques to turn ancient scripture into a gritty, action-packed visual spectacle that defined how generations of readers imagined the Bible.
- Technique
- Wood engraving
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