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| Samson Captured by the Philistines |
Artist:Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri) (Italian, Cento 1591–1666 Bologna)
Date:1619
Medium:Oil on canvas
Dimensions:75 1/4 x 93 1/4 in. (191.1 x 236.9 cm)
Classification:Paintings
Credit Line:Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1984
The subject of this picture is from the Biblical book of Judges. Samson, whose strength came from his hair, has been shorn by his duplicitous lover, Delilah, and is set upon by the Philistines, who bind him and blind him. The focus of this dramatic and marvelously staged composition—a landmark in the artist’s career—is the vigorously modeled back of Samson, struggling to free himself. It is one of several commissions from Cardinal Giacomo Serra, the papal legate to Ferrara. Serra was a notable collector in Rome and also promoted Rubens.
Provenance
Jacopo Serra, Cardinal Legate of Ferrara (commissioned 1619–d. 1623); Serra family, Ferrara, ?later Naples (1623–?ca. 1920); Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Bey (Maria Teresa Serra) Sursock, Palais Sursock, Beirut (acquired in Naples; from after 1920); their daughter, Yvonne Lady Cochrane, Palais Sursock (by 1969–79; sold through Leggatt Brothers, London, to Wrightsman); Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, New York (1979–84)
Copyright Image
https://images.metmuseum.org
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