Hendrick Goltzius: Lot and his daughters (1617); Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

The scene in this painting from 1616, by the Haarlem based artist Hendrick Goltzius, may appear somewhat erotic or even obscene, but is in fact a depiction of a well known biblical story. In the book Genesis it is told that God decides to destroy the depraved cities Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot and his family, considered the only virtuous people, are warned by a pair of angels to leave Sodom as quick as possible without looking back even once. They flee out of the city, but Lots wife unfortunately can’t resist the temptation of looking back and changes into a salt pillar. The two daughters, who fear that their old father won’t ever have any (male) descendants, decide to get Lot drunk. When he is intoxicated enough they will both have sexual intercourse with their father and eventually bear his children. And so happens.
Goltzius had portrayed the depicted the scene in a ‘medieval’ style by showing more phases in the story in just one picture. On the right we see the burning city and the unfortunate wife of Lot in the form of a salt pillar. In the left corner, in the background, we spot Lot and the daughters after the intended deed is performed. In the middle Goltzius shows us the beautifully painted bare women with their, somewhat grumpy looking, old father, who clearly is becoming more than just a little tipsy.