Jael und Siserra

Jael and Sisera by Guercino, painted around 1616, depicts the Old Testament heroine who killed the Canaanite general by driving a tent peg through his temple. This violent subject of female heroism was popular in Baroque art. Guercino's vivid early style, with its bold chiaroscuro and emotional immediacy, gave way after 1621 to a more classical manner influenced by the taste of Rome, creating two distinct bodies of work that represent the Baroque's competing impulses toward drama and order.

The dramatic moment of the killing creates a composition of violent action. Guercino's early bold chiaroscuro and energetic handling capture the lethal encounter.