Samson Wrestling with the Lion

Description The Old Testament hero Samson, infused by the spirit of the Lord, attacks and kills a lion with his bare hands (Judges 14). The artist mixes subtle detail with complex movement and form to intrigue the viewer's eye; the visual dynamism of the encounter is intensified by the remarkably parallel forms of Samson and the lion, whose claws tear into Samson's flesh, drawing blood.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
12/15/1981	Examination	examined for condition
12/15/1981	Treatment	cleaned; repaired; mounted; loss compensation
12/01/2004	Examination	examined for condition

Provenance Jacques Seligmann, Paris, by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1910, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, 1910