Lot 908 | Susanna and the Two Old Men

BRUGES SCHOOL
17th C.

Title: Susanna and the Two Old Men.
Technique: Oil on canvas.
Mounting: Relined.
Measurement: 53 x 35cm.
Frame/Pedestal: Framed.

Provenance:
Private ownership, Germany.

The biblical story of Susanna in the bath from the Book of Daniel is a popular theme in the visual arts. The young Susanna, who is harassed by the two old men and later renounced because she has not given herself to them, is known in numerous versions.
In most cases, it is the element of surprise and the young woman's resistance that has appealed to artists, in addition to the legitimate possibility of a nude depiction. The present painting, which brings the intimate scene close to the viewer, shows an almost rapturous-looking Susanna, who turns only slightly away from her tormentors, while her curly hair and the light shawl barely conceal her nakedness. By not reacting further to the two old men, but rather turning skywards, the artist illustrates her virtuous steadfastness.
Interestingly, the work is based on a composition by the well-known Dutch engraver and painter Hendrik Goltzius (1558-1616/17). The painting is thought to be lost, but it survives in an engraving from 1598 by his pupil Jan Saenredam (1565-1607).
Suzanne Laemers suspects that it was painted by a master active in Bruges, as his style shows close affinities with the School of Bruges. The painter was inspired by Goltzius' composition, but at the same time modified it and created a new composition of his own. The present painting is therefore not a one-to-one copy, but an independent version of the famous biblical theme.

We are grateful to Suzanne Laemers, RKD, The Hague, for suggesting the attribution of the present painting on the basis of a high-resolution digital photograph.