Peter Paul Rubens - The Capture of Samson | Fine Art Poster

Peter Paul Rubens, the towering figure of Flemish Baroque painting, captured this dramatic biblical moment in an oil sketch made around 1609-1610, not long after he returned to Antwerp from his formative years in Italy. The scene comes from the Book of Judges: Samson, betrayed by Delilah and shorn of the hair that gave him his legendary strength, is seized by Philistine soldiers in a tangle of straining limbs and shadow. Rubens modeled Samson's contorted pose on ancient Roman sculpture and used the dramatic light he admired in Venetian painting, and this small panel served as a preparatory study for his larger, celebrated Samson and Delilah. It remains a vivid early showcase of the muscular, classically grounded style that made Rubens one of the most influential painters of his age.

Printed with archival giclée inks on smooth, acid-free 220 gsm gallery-grade fine-art paper; available in multiple sizes.