| Method | Copper engraving |
| Artist | Virgil Solis after Georg Pencz |
| Published | [c. 1530-1562] |
| Dimensions | Image 45 x 68 mm |
| Notes |
A copy in reverse of Georg Pencz's Samson and Delilah (c. 1531-1532). The story of Samson and Delilah is told in the Old Testament, in the Book of Judges. Samson falls in love with Delilah, who is bribed by his enemies, the Philistines, to discover the source of his inhuman strength. Three times she tries to get his secret out of him. Eventually he tells her that his strength has been granted to him by God. To prove his livelong dedication to God, he has never touched his hair with a razor, and Samson is sure his strength will leave him, if he ever shaves his hair off. Delilah is depicted here, after she has lulled Samson to sleep in her lap, and is about to cut of his hair with a knife. The army of Philistines is waiting in the background, ready to seize Samson as soon as he has lost his power. Virgil Solis (1514-1562) was a German printmaker and publisher, and the scion of a large family of Nuremberg artists. Solis produced illustrations on all manner of subjects, though he is best known for his biblical and classical scenes, particularly the large number of woodcuts which appeared in numerous sixteenth century editions of Ovid's Metamorphoses. Georg Pencz (c. 1500-1550) was a German painter and engraver active in Nuremberg and part of the Kleinmeisters ("Little Masters"), so called because they mainly produced small prints. He worked together with the brothers Hans Sebald and Barthel Beham. All of three of them were heavily influenced by the work of their contemporary, Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), and might even have worked in his atelier. Hollstein German, Georg Pencz, 21, copy in reverse. Condition: Good impression. Trimmed within plate mark. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £120.00 |
| Stock ID | 46016 |