The ghost of Samuel appears to the witch of Endor; Saul falls prostrate to the ground (1 Samuel 28:3-20)

This early work of 1619 depicts the episode from 1 Samuel 28 in which King Saul, having expelled mediums and necromancers from Israel, secretly visits the Witch of Endor in desperation and demands that she summon the spirit of the dead prophet Samuel. Samuel's ghost rises, delivers a prophecy of Saul's imminent death and defeat, and the king, already weakened by fasting, collapses prostrate on the ground. The subject attracted painters interested in supernatural drama and the intersection of forbidden knowledge with royal power — themes of considerable relevance in an age preoccupied with witchcraft, necromancy, and divine providence. Crayer's 1619 treatment, now in the Groeningemuseum in Bruges, is one of his earliest large-scale narrative works and shows him beginning to absorb the Rubensian energy that would characterise Flemish Baroque painting of the period. The unusual subject choice suggests a sophisticated patron with humanist interests in biblical history.

The early date of 1619 places this work in Crayer's formative period, when his handling was less assured than in his mature work but already distinguished by strong compositional organisation. The supernatural appearance of Samuel's ghost required Crayer to differentiate between earthly and spectral illumination — a technical challenge met through differentiated paint handling and contrasting tonality. Saul's collapsed figure provides a strong diagonal that anchors the dramatic climax.