Samson and Delilah
Artist: Lucas Cranach the Elder (German, 1472–1553)
Original Dimensions: 22 1/2" x 14 7/8"
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
About Artwork: (ca. 1528–30) "In this scene from the Hebrew Bible, the Israelite hero Samson sleeps in the lap of his treacherous Philistine lover Delilah, who shears a lock of hair from his head to drain his superhuman strength. A group of soldiers emerges from the forest, seeking revenge against the disempowered hero who had murdered a thousand Philistines with the ass’s jawbone lying at his feet. The panel’s small size suggests that it was displayed in a private context. In the courtly setting of Cranach’s time, the biblical story had an allegorical meaning, warning men of the pitfalls of love and the supposed wiles of women." - (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

Panel content
Panel content