# Saul and the Witch of Endor

- By: Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen (Oostzaan, ca. –ca.)
- Date: 1526
- Medium: panel, oil paint (paint)
- Classification: painting
- Dimensions: frame: height 104.2 cm x width 138.9 cm x thickness 5 cm
- Museum: [Rijksmuseum](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/object/SK-A-668--9b643168e98f68727a117b6ff19d6d9e)
- Rights: [Public Domain Mark](http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/)
- Picture: https://iiif.micr.io/hKSwX/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Adult profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Fearing the outcome of a battle, Saul, king of the Israelites, consulted the fortune-telling witch of Endor. The prophecy came true: Saul lost the battle, but shortly before he was to be killed, he threw himself on his sword. His suicide – in the middle background – is a warning against witchcraft. In the foreground is a Witches’ Sabbath: the fortune-teller sits within a chalk circle, surrounded by other witches, satyrs, and imaginary figures.