Drie figuren bij een bewapende man met vier armen - Karel Petrus Cornelis de Bazel

A striking Symbolist lithograph by Karel Petrus Cornelis de Bazel, featuring a ritualistic scene of figures and a central armed man.

This lithograph by the Dutch architect and designer Karel Petrus Cornelis de Bazel reflects the esoteric interests prevalent in late nineteenth-century European art. De Bazel was a member of the Theosophical Society, and his graphic work often incorporates mystical, occult, and geometric motifs that move away from naturalism toward a more symbolic visual language.

The composition features a central, stern-faced figure holding two axes, flanked by two ethereal, elongated female forms. These figures raise their arms in a gesture of blessing or invocation above a central, hooded entity. The symmetry of the arrangement, combined with the stark contrast between the black ink and the paper, creates a ritualistic atmosphere. The lines are precise and controlled, characteristic of De Bazel's architectural training, which prioritised order and structural clarity even within his more imaginative, symbolic subjects.

De Bazel was a significant figure in the Dutch decorative arts, known for his ability to synthesise diverse cultural influences into a cohesive, modern style. This print demonstrates his mastery of the woodcut-style aesthetic, which was popular among Symbolist artists of the period. The work avoids unnecessary detail, focusing instead on the silhouette and the symbolic weight of the figures. It is a clear example of the turn-of-the-century interest in the spiritual and the mythological, presented through a disciplined, graphic lens. The print serves as an exploration of power, protection, and the unseen forces that De Bazel often sought to represent in his drawings and designs.