Samson and Delilah, 17th century

The painting, a relined oil, can be traced back to the Roman School of the first half of the 17th century. The biblical scene depicted is recognizable as the episode of Samson and Delilah recounted in the Book of Judges. However, the unique compositional structure, with Samson sleeping in the background and Delilah receiving precious pitchers, contributes to making the scene more enigmatic.