Clip Art

INCAMERASTOCK / ALAMY

Do you recognize this famous biblical scene?

1. The Final Judgment by Jan van Eyck
2. Saul and the Witch of Endor by Benjamin West
3. The Resurrection of Christ by Jacopo Tintoretto
4. Elijah and the Angel by Godfrey Kneller
5. The Vision of the Prophet Ezekiel by Quentin Matsys

INCAMERASTOCK / ALAMY

Answer: (2) Saul and the Witch of Endor by Benjamin West

In this 1777 painting, Benjamin West takes up the story of Saul and his consultation with the medium in Endor (1 Samuel 28). In the biblical account, Saul is preparing for war with the Philistines and seeks out a woman in Endor who can consult with the dead. To Saul’s surprise, she raises the shade of the prophet Samuel, who delivers to Saul a message he does not wish to hear: His kingdom is doomed. The eldritch encounter shakes Saul to his core; later, when he rides into battle, Samuel’s foretelling proves true: Saul and his son Jonathan die in the battle.

Benjamin West (1738–1820) was an American-born painter who specialized in historical scenes. He was entirely self-taught; after several years of painting mostly portraits in Pennsylvania, he visited Italy and then settled in London in 1763. His patrons there commissioned a variety of historical works, the genre for which he is chiefly known. Later in life, he took on religious themes as well, as this painting attests. Here, Saul prostrates himself before the shade of Samuel as Saul’s servants stand to his right, alarmed. The medium is on the left, conjuring the spirit of the deceased prophet.