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Samson and Delilah

ca. 1528–30
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 607
In this scene from the Hebrew Bible, the Israelite hero Samson sleeps in the lap of his treacherous Philistine lover Delilah, who shears a lock of hair from his head to drain his superhuman strength. A group of soldiers emerges from the forest, seeking revenge against the disempowered hero who had murdered a thousand Philistines with the ass’s jawbone lying at his feet. The panel’s small size suggests that it was displayed in a private context. In the courtly setting of Cranach’s time, the biblical story had an allegorical meaning, warning men of the pitfalls of love and the supposed wiles of women.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Samson and Delilah
  • Artist: Lucas Cranach the Elder (German, Kronach 1472–1553 Weimar)
  • Date: ca. 1528–30
  • Medium: Oil on beech
  • Dimensions: 22 1/2 x 14 7/8 in. (57.2 x 37.8cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Joan Whitney Payson, 1975
  • Object Number: 1976.201.11
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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A Silver Statuette of the Risen Christ, from the Wittenberg Reliquaries, Lucas Cranach the Elder German, Woodcut; first state of two (Hollstein)
A Silver Statuette of the Risen Christ, from the Wittenberg Reliquaries
Lucas Cranach the Elder
Bust of St. Paul, from the Wittenberg Reliquaries, Lucas Cranach the Elder German, Woodcut
Bust of St. Paul, from the Wittenberg Reliquaries
Lucas Cranach the Elder
Martin Luther, Bust to the Left, Lucas Cranach the Elder German, Woodcut
Martin Luther, Bust to the Left
Lucas Cranach the Elder
1551
Sybilla of Cleves, Wife of John Frederic of Saxony, Lucas Cranach the Elder German, Woodcut
Sybilla of Cleves, Wife of John Frederic of Saxony
Lucas Cranach the Elder

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