Samson and Delilah
by BELLUCCI, Antonio, Oil on canvas, 115 x 149 cm
The subject of Samson and Delilah, drawn from the Old Testament (Judges 16: 19-20), was frequently treated in seventeenth-century painting. It allowed artists to illustrate the supremacy of passion, and its unfortunate consequences once reason lays dormant.
Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 10 minutes):
Camille Saint-Saens: Samson et Delila, Delila’s aria