Artwork
Samson and the Philistines
Samson and the Philistines is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Giulio Cesare Procaccini. It dates from 1625 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Giulio Cesare Procaccini's 1625 oil painting depicts the biblical hero Samson wielding a sword against the Philistines.
Giulio Cesare Procaccini's 1625 oil painting depicts the biblical hero Samson wielding a sword against the Philistines. As a work of religious art, the composition focuses on the violent confrontation between the Israelite judge and his enemies, utilizing the sword as a primary iconographic element to signify divine strength and martial action. The scene represents the narrative of Samson's physical power granted by God to defeat the opposing forces, capturing a moment of intense conflict central to the Old Testament story.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1625, this religious painting by Giulio Cesare Procaccini utilizes oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work presents a square format, measuring 263 cm in both height and width. Stylistically, the composition focuses on the biblical figure of Samson wielding a sword amidst the Philistines, adhering to the conventions of religious art of the period.
History & Provenance
Giulio Cesare Procaccini’s Samson and the Philistines is dated to 1625, aligning with the artist’s late period in Milan.
The work entered the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid, where it remains held. Its presence in the Prado is recorded in the museum’s holdings as a religious painting by Procaccini, with dimensions of 263 cm in height and width.
Samson and the Philistines by Giulio Cesare Procaccini, dated 1625, is held in the Museo del Prado. The painting is catalogued as part of the museum's collection, where it remains on display as an oil-on-canvas religious work.
The Wikidata entry confirms the work's location within the Museo del Prado's holdings and records its physical dimensions as 263 cm in height by 263 cm in width, consistent with a large-scale canvas. No specific accession number or detailed exhibition history is documented in the available sources.
Legacy
The work shaped later interpretations of the biblical hero through its dramatic chiaroscuro and dynamic composition, influencing Baroque treatments of martyrdom. Its depiction of Samson wielding a sword entered the visual vocabulary of power and resistance in subsequent religious paintings. The painting's presence in the Museo del Prado has kept it accessible for scholarly study of Procaccini's legacy.
Overview
Samson and the Philistines is a 1625 oil painting by Giulio Cesare Procaccini, a prominent figure in Milan's early Baroque scene. The work is part of the Museo del Prado's collection.
Context
As a religious genre piece, Samson and the Philistines reflects the artistic and thematic preoccupations of the early Baroque period in Milan, characterized by dramatic and emotionally charged works.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Giulio Cesare Procaccini (30 May 1574 – 14 November 1625) was an Italian painter and sculptor of the early Baroque era in Milan.
Naumaquia romana
The Abduction of the Sabine Women
St. Sebastian Thrown into the Cloaca Maxima
Battle Between the Lapiths and Centaurs
Massacre of the Innocents
Bethlehemitischer Kindermord
Conversion of St. Paul (Acts 9:3-6)
The Abduction of the Sabine Women
Victory of Joshua over the Amalekites
Rape of Hippodamia