Artwork
Susanna and the Elders
Susanna and the Elders is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Nicolas Bertin. It dates from 1700 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The iconography includes Susanna shown nude, washing, with long black hair and a ribbon, while the elders are clothed, bearded, with white hair.
This painting depicts the biblical story of Susanna and the Elders, in which two elderly judges attempt to seduce the virtuous Susanna while she bathes in her garden. The iconography includes Susanna shown nude, washing, with long black hair and a ribbon, while the elders are clothed, bearded, with white hair. The setting features a fountain with a water jet and basin, broad-leaved trees, and a sky with clouds at evening or sunset.
Symbolically, Susanna represents purity and innocence threatened by corrupt authority, as the elders abuse their power. The contrast between the naked female figure and the clothed male elders underscores a moral lesson about virtue resisting vice. The meaning reinforces a religious and moral narrative, common in 17th-18th century art.
Technique & Style
Painted in oil on panel, this work measures 39 × 33 cm and is executed in the Rococo style. Bertin’s composition depicts Susanna at a fountain, with two elderly elders approaching, set against a landscape featuring broad-leaved trees, a water basin, and a sunset sky. The handling of the nude figure and the elders’ white hair reflects the graceful, refined brushwork characteristic of early 18th-century French painting. No condition details are recorded.
History & Provenance
The painting Susanna and the Elders by Nicolas Bertin was created in 1699 in Paris, executed in oil on panel measuring 39 by 33 centimeters. No information regarding a commission is available. Its recorded ownership includes Adriaan Leonard van Heteren Gevers, and it eventually entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum as part of the Kabinet van Heteren Gevers.
The exact chain of transfer before van Heteren Gevers is unknown, and the work is catalogued with that provenance at the Rijksmuseum.
Overview
This oil painting, titled Susanna and the Elders, depicts a woman reclining on a stone surface, partially covered by blue drapery. In the background, two older male figures observe her from the shadows of a garden setting, complete with trees and a waterfall. The composition establishes a clear visual tension between the central figure and her hidden observers.
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