Fine Art

Samson and Delilah — History & Facts

Samson sleeps in Delilah’s lap while a man carefully cuts his hair, the source of his strength, and soldiers wait at the door. Peter Paul Rubens painted the Bible story around 1609–1610 for his friend and patron Nicolaas Rockox, mayor of Antwerp, to hang above the mantelpiece of his town house. An old woman behind Delilah mirrors her profile, perhaps a hint that Delilah too will one day lose her beauty. Sold from the Liechtenstein collection in 1880, it was rediscovered in Paris in 1929 and bought by the National Gallery, London, at auction in 1980. It is oil on oak panel, 185 × 205 cm.

More Artworks by Peter Paul Rubens

A kneeling figure in white is crowned by a richly robed cleric, surrounded by shadowed men in red, pale figures with a staff, and a small white dog in an architectural setting.

The Coronation of Henri IV

Peter Paul Rubens

Marie de' Medici stands in a lavish black and gold gown with a golden mantle and helmet, crowned by two winged putti above her, with armor and weapons at her feet against a dramatic sky.

Portrait de Marie de Médicis

Peter Paul Rubens

A depiction of Apollo reaching for Daphne, who is transforming into a laurel tree.

Apollo and Daphne

Peter Paul Rubens

A seated woman in a deep blue and gold gown with a starched white ruff, holding flowers, against a red curtain and grand architectural background.

Anne of Austria, Queen of France

Peter Paul Rubens

A group of figures including a twisting woman in white and reddish-brown drapery, a crowned man, and others stand closely on rocky ground beneath a blue sky.

Bacchus and Ariadne

Peter Paul Rubens

Rubens' depiction of Christ on the Cross with Mary, Mary Magdalene, and St John in a moment of profound grief.

Christ on the Cross with Maria, Mary Magdalene and St John

Peter Paul Rubens

Equestrian portrait of Charles Colonna, Duke of Marsi by Peter Paul Rubens, depicting the Duke on a rearing warhorse.

Equestrian portrait of Charles Colonna, Duke of Marsi

Peter Paul Rubens

Peter Paul Rubens' 'Hippomenes and Atalanta' captures a moment of tension in a mythological race.

Hippomenes and Atalanta

Peter Paul Rubens

A nearly nude woman chained to a rocky outcrop looks down anxiously as a sea monster rises below and an armored man swoops in with sword and shield.

Perseus and Andromeda

Peter Paul Rubens

Meleager and Atalanta confront the Calydonian Boar in a dynamic scene by Peter Paul Rubens.

Meleager and Atalanta and the Hunt of the Calydonian Boar

Peter Paul Rubens

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More Religious Art

A triptych showing a lush garden with nude figures and animals on the left, a vibrant central panel of nude humans and fantastical creatures, and a dark, fiery hellscape with tortured figures on the right.

The Garden of Earthly Delights

Hieronymus Bosch

Father embraces his son in an etching by Rembrandt van Rijn

The Return of the Prodigal Son

Rembrandt van Rijn

A young woman in a red dress and blue mantle sits on a rock with two children, one holding a small bird, set against a landscape of hills and trees.

Madonna of the Goldfinch

Raphael

Rembrandt's 'The Crucifixion' depicts a dramatic moment in a religious context.

The Crucifixion

Rembrandt van Rijn

Rubens' depiction of Christ on the Cross with Mary, Mary Magdalene, and St John in a moment of profound grief.

Christ on the Cross with Maria, Mary Magdalene and St John

Peter Paul Rubens

A muscular female figure in an orange robe twists her body holding a massive open book above her head, with a young attendant seated behind her.

Libyan Sibyl

Michelangelo

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