Image scanned from a transparency and color-corrected by Pat Cagney.

Samson Bringing Honey to His Parents

Artist Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (Guercino) (Italian, 1591 - 1666)

Dateca. 1625-26

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsOverall: 39 3/4 x 59 in. (101 x 149.9 cm)
Overall, Frame: 52 x 70 3/4 in. (132.1 x 179.7 cm)

ClassificationsEuropean art

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., in honor of the Board of Trustees 1977-1985

Object number71.521

Terms

Samson
Religion
Old Testament
Bees
Lion
Yellow
Brown
Red
Blue
White
Black
Baroque
Cento, Italy

Collections

European Art before 1945

On View

On view

DescriptionThis is an oil on canvas depicting Samson, on the right of the canvas, handing his parents a block of honey. The canvas is divided vertically into two halves. The left side shows Samson's parents standing in front of a brown stone building. They are seen from the waist up in seventeenth century costume. On the right side is Samson, almost silhouetted as his face is in the shadows and behind him is a light blue sky with clouds. There is specific light on the parents' faces, but Samson is deliberately eclipsed. He has brown wavy shoulder length hair. All three figures are focused on the honeycomb in Samson's right hand as he places in his father's hands. Less noticeable is the honeycomb still remaining in Samson's left hand; the central focus is left foreground, which shows three hands and a honeycomb.;

Label TextGiovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Guercino Italian, 1591–1666 Samson Bringing Honey to His Parents, ca. 1625–26 Oil on canvas Made strong by God, Samson has killed a lion with his bare hands (an event depicted in tiny figures at the lower center). Returning later, he discovered that bees had filled the lion’s carcass with honey. Here, Samson offers honeycombs to his parents. The story demonstrates God’s power and ability to work through chosen mortals. It also shows the growing importance of artistic patrons. The three bees hovering near the stone wall at the top of the canvas reference the coat of arms of the powerful Barberini family who commissioned the work for their Roman palace. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., in honor of the Board of Trustees, 1977–1985 71.521