Samson and Delilah

1645 · Private collection

mythological

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. This painting was initially attributed to Cecco Bravo.

About the Artist

Francesco Furini

1603 – 1646

Florentine painter of biblical and mythological subjects heavy with female nudes, and of single half-length nudes in oppressive bluish tones with strong sfumato. In the 1630s he became a priest and devoted himself to religious works in the manner of Guido Reni.

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