Samson and Delilah

Currently not on view

Samson and Delilah

c. 1611

Palma il Giovane (Jacopo Negretti) (Italian (active Venice), 1544–1628) Published by Giacomo Franco (Italian, 1550–1620)

Palma, an esteemed Venetian painter and ambitious draftsman, created this etching as part of a larger project to illustrate a drawing manual designed to teach pictorial construction and human anatomy. A testament to his own mastery of the graphic arts, Palma is believed to have freely composed the image directly on the plate without making any preparatory sketches. Minor errors and unfinished details like the handling of Delilah’s hand and shears underscore the impulsiveness of Palma’s quick, emphatic strokes and energetic manipulation of light and shade.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Titles:

Samson and Delilah
De excellentia et nobilitate delineationis libri duo (The book of the excellent and noble art of drawing), Venice, 1611

Date:

c. 1611

Artists:

Palma il Giovane (Jacopo Negretti) (Italian (active Venice), 1544–1628) Published by Giacomo Franco (Italian, 1550–1620)

Medium:

Etching with plate tone

Dimensions:

Plate: 5 13/16 x 8 1/16 inches (14.8 x 20.5 cm) Sheet: 6 1/16 x 8 3/16 inches (15.3 x 20.8 cm)

Classification:

Prints

Credit Line:

The Muriel and Philip Berman Gift, acquired from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, with funds contributed by Muriel and Philip Berman, gifts (by exchange) of Lisa Norris Elkins, Bryant W. Langston, Samuel S. White 3rd and Vera White, with additional funds contributed by John Howard McFadden, Jr., Thomas Skelton Harrison, and the Philip H. and A.S.W. Rosenbach Foundation

Accession Number:

1985-52-24443

Geography:

Made in Venice, Italy, Europe

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Currently not on view