The Capture of Samson
1628/30 | Anthonis van Dyck
Delilah had discovered that Samson’s extraordinary strength lay in his hair and revealed the secret to his persecutors. She cut off his hair while he was sleeping and so delivered him to his enemies, the Philistines. Van Dyck uses a composition by Peter Paul Rubens as a model, but reproduces the psychological state of Samson and Delilah differently: instead of depicting Samson’s last heroic struggle, the artist concentrates on the ambivalent feelings of both protagonists.
Delilah had discovered that Samson’s extraordinary strength lay in his hair and revealed the secret to his persecutors. She cut off his hair while he was sleeping and so delivered him to his enemies, the Philistines. Van Dyck uses a composition by Peter Paul Rubens as a model, but reproduces the psychological state of Samson and Delilah differently: instead of depicting Samson’s last heroic struggle, the artist concentrates on the ambivalent feelings of both protagonists.
Artist:
Anthonis van Dyck (1599 Antwerpen - 1641 London) DNB
Time:
1628/30
Object Name
Painting
Culture
Flemish
Material/technology:
Canvas
Dimensions:
oben 5 cm angestückt: top 5 cm attached: 146 cm × 254 cm
Framed: 176,5 cm × 284,2 cm × 15 cm
Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie
Invs.
Gemäldegalerie, 512
Provenance
According to Bellori of "Van Wonsel" Gift to Archduke Leopold Wilhelm;