Samson and Delilah
Gerard van Honthorst·c. 1616
Historical Context
Gerrit van Honthorst painted this Samson and Delilah around 1616, during or shortly after his transformative years in Rome where he became one of the most successful followers of Caravaggio. The subject — Delilah cutting Samson's hair while he sleeps in her lap, betraying him to the Philistines — was ideal for the dramatic nocturnal lighting effects that earned Honthorst the Italian nickname "Gherardo delle Notti" (Gerard of the Night Scenes). This work bridges his Italian Caravaggist phase and his later career as court painter to the House of Orange in The Hague.
Technical Analysis
The painting demonstrates Honthorst's mastery of Caravaggist chiaroscuro, with a strong, directed light source illuminating the figures against deep shadow, and the smooth, naturalistic flesh painting that characterized the Utrecht Caravaggisti school.
Provenance
Possibly Marchése Tommaso Raggi [1595/6-1676], Genoa and Rome, and descendents; [possibly] in the collection of the Ruspoli family, Rome, until sold to an art dealer; (Dealer, Rome, sold to the Hazlitt Gallery); (Hazlitt Gallery, London, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
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