How you can use this image
This image is available to be shared and re-used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (CC BY-NC-ND).
You can reproduce this image for non-commercial purposes and you are not able to change or modify it in any way.
Wherever you reproduce the image you must attribute the original creators (acknowledge the original artist(s) and the person/organisation that took the photograph of the work) and any other rights holders.
Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find more images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.
DownloadNotes
Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.
Dramatic depiction of the betrayal of Samson by Delilah, taken from the old testament of the Bible, the book of Judges, chapter 16. Samson, a tanned, muscular man in a dark blue loincloth, seen from the back, lies sleeping with his head in the lap of the almost naked figure of Delilah. Delilah, who is very fair-skinned, leans back and to the right with arms raised and elbows bent. Two dark-skinned soldiers in close fitting caps creep in from the left to cut off Samson's hair, which will take away his superhuman strength. The foremost soldier, dressed in a chainmail tunic, has a pair of clippers and is already cutting off Samson's brown curls. Delilah's eyes look down at her accomplice's action; her eyebrows are arched and her mouth poised. Both of her wrists are decorated with bracelets.
Title
Samson Betrayed
Date
1850
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 243.8 x W 306 cm
Accession number
1882.19
Acquisition method
transferred from the Royal Manchester Institution, 1882
Work type
Painting
Inscription description
Signed brc: F.R.Pickersgill. R.A.1850