''Susanna and the Elders'' (Artemisia Gentileschi, Brno)

Susanna and the Elders, Artemisia Gentileschi, 1649, Brno

Susanna and the Elders is one of several paintings on this theme executed by the Italian baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi. This version, painted in 1649, hangs in the Moravska Galerie, Brno, Czech Republic. It is signed with Gentileschi's signature, and the date, on the balustrade on the right.

The painting tells the story of Susanna from the Book of Daniel; after having a bath in her garden, Susanna is blackmailed by two older men who threaten her with claims of promiscuity unless she has sex with them.

Unlike her earlier versions of the painting, Gentileschi here follows "a far more traditional interpretation", with Susanna looking heavenward as if to ask for divine assistance in fighting off the elders.[1]


References

  1. ↑ Christiansen, Keith; Mann, Judith Walker (2001-01-01). Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi. New York; New Haven: Metropolitan Museum of Art ; Yale University Press. ISBN 1588390063.


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