Curatorial Notes
In retaliation for Samson’s single-handed decimation of their army, the Philistines bribed his lover Delilah to discover the source of his strength: his hair, uncut since birth. Samson’s hair was shorn as he lay sleeping in Delilah’s lap, draining his strength and allowing the Philistines to capture him. Honthorst intensified the inherent drama of the scene by limiting his depiction to just three closely packed figures, starkly illuminated by a single candle. The old woman’s silencing gesture involves the viewer in the action, making us complicit in Delilah’s deceit.
Artwork Identification
Title Samson and Delilah
Title (PT) Sansão e Dalila
Title (ES) Sansón y Dalila
Artist Gerrit van Honthorst
Artist Bio Gerrit van Honthorst (Dutch, 1590–1656)
Date c. 1616
Work Type Painting
Location & Collection
Institution Cleveland Museum of Art
Source View Museum Page
License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0
