(Modena 1635–1709)
Samson and Delilah,
oil on canvas, 198 x 255 cm, framed

Provenance:
possibly Boni collection, Modena (18th century);
Private European collection

We are grateful to Daniele Benati for confirming the attribution of the present painting on the basis of a high resolution digital photograph.

Francesco Stringa was active in Modena during the second half of the 17th century. His pictorial language evolved from the study of the Emilian school of painters of the century; from Carracci, Guercino, Guido Reni and Lanfranco. He was also influenced by his direct contact with the celebrated d’Este collection, which he became keeper during the 1660s, succeeding Flaminio Torri. The intense naturalism of his early works was also influenced by the painting of Mattia Preti, who had worked in the d’Este capital in San Biagio between 1653 and 1655, while later Stringa’s style evolved towards a lighter late-baroque orientated language.

The present painting represents an episode from the Old Testament Book of Judges. The Philistine Delilah weakens Samson, her Nazirite lover and an enemy of her people, when he succumbs to her and allows her to cut his hair. His long hair was a symbol of his dedication to God, and therefore was a symbol of his invincibility: a point of pride for the Hebrews. In the present painting, the Biblical hero is shown already drained of all strength, as he lies limply across Delilah’s lap, while she is shown holding the scissors. On the right, the Philistines approach holding cords with which to bind and capture Samson. The composition is astutely conceived around a structure of diagonals at the heart of which is the lithe form of Delilah. A sense of naturalism in the composition is displayed in all the compact strength of physical form, dramatized by the strong contrasts of light and shade that animate the scene.