Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Susannah and the Elders
(Baroque Europe )
The Old Testament book of Daniel tells of Susanna, a married woman who is spied on by two court judges while bathing in her garden. They attempt to force themselves upon her, saying that if she does not submit, they will accuse her of adultery. She screams and when others approach, the judges make their accusation. At her trial for adultery, Daniel insists that the “witnesses” be questioned. This reveals their lies; Susanna is exonerated, and her accusers are put to death.
The painter depicted Susanna as she tries to cover herself while pushing away her male assailants. Around 1700, it might have been claimed that the focus on her body was intended to reveal her innocence and virtue, as truth was often symbolized by a nude woman (as in “the naked truth”). Nevertheless, the painter has made the viewer complicit in taking advantage of Susanna’s inability to stop others from gazing at her unclothed body.
The soft, luminous coloring is characteristic of the late Roman Baroque style.
For more information on this painting, please see Federico Zeri's 1976 catalogue no. 334, pp. 459-460.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [1881 catalogue: no. 211; 1897 catalogue: no. 216, as Cagnacci]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1997-1998 | Hot Dry Men, Cold Wet Women: The Theory for Humors in Western European Art, 1575-1700. Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha; Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota. |
| 1995-1996 | Going for Baroque. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1993 | Hot, Dry Men; Cold, Wet Women. Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 4/9/1984 | Treatment | other |
Geographies
Italy, Rome (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Painted surface H: 26 1/2 x W: 32 1/8 in. (67.3 x 81.6 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters with the Massarenti Collection, 1902
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.1880