Samson en Delila

About this artwork

Aankoop uit het F.G. Waller-Fonds

Art Historical Context

**Samson en Delila by Adriaen van der Werff captures a dramatic biblical moment from the Book of Judges, where the treacherous Delilah betrays the mighty Samson by having his hair shorn, stripping him of his superhuman strength. Created during van der Werff's career (active ca. 1669–1722), this intimate work on paper measures just 368 × 276 mm, suggesting a preparatory drawing or study rather than a grand canvas. Dutch artists of the late Baroque period, like van der Werff—a Leiden fine painter known for his exquisite, enamel-smooth finishes—in frequently explored such classical and religious ...

About the Artist

Adriaen van der Werff · 1659–1722

Dutch painter and draughtsman. He was apprenticed to the portrait painter Cornelis Picolet (1626–79) from 1668 to 1670 and then from ca.1671 to 1676 to Eglon van der Neer in Rotterdam. From 1676 van der Werff produced small portraits and genre paintings as an independent master. In 1687 van der Werff, by then a successful artist, married the wealthy Margaretha Rees (1669–1731), whose guardian, Nic...