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The Blinding of Samson is a 1636 painting by Rembrandt, now in the Städel (in Frankfurt). The painting is the first of its kind in pictorial tradition. No other artist at the time had painted this specific narrative moment. This work is the third Rembrandt's series depicting scenes from the story of Samson. The other works in this series are Samson Threatening His Father-In-Law and The Wedding Feast of Samson.

This painting was a gift to the House of Orange, Rembrandt's current patron of a few commissioned paintings, via its secretary Constantijn Huygens, as an excuse for the delay of the commissioned Passion paintings. Later it was acquired by Friedrich Karl von Schönborn and remained in the Palais Schönborn-Batthyány in Vienna until it was acquired by the Städel in 1905.

It is believed that there were many copies of the painting made, all of which were approximately similar in size. The original has been cut down to its present size.

The Blinding of Samson
Artist	Rembrandt
Year	1636
Medium	Oil on Canvas
Dimensions	236 cm × 302 cm (93 in × 119 in)
Location	Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

Description

Done in the Baroque style, the painting depicts the scene from the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges which recants the story of Samson and Delilah, specifically the scene found in Judges 16:21 when Samson, whose hair has been cut and supernatural strength gone with it, is bound and has his eyes gouged out by the Philistines. The viewer finds Samson pinned to the ground and restrained by two armored Philistines, one of whom is gouging his eyes out with a sword. There is a third standing in front of Samson with a halberd in the event Samson breaks free. In the background, Delilah can be seen standing with the trophy of her triumph in her left hand and a pair of scissors in her right.

The painting uses techniques of chiaroscuro and tenebrism to draw the viewer's gaze to the action set in the lower level of the painting. The light coming in from outside the tent brings the eyes of the viewer to the figure of Samson, who is being restrained and blinded by Philistine soldiers. The implied movement from Samson keeps the viewer focused on the center of the action and delays the noticing of Delilah, who is slipping out the door of the tent with Samson's hair and the shears used to cut it. Delilah bears an skeptically triumphant and mildly terrified look upon her face, her objective completed, and watches the fruits of her deeds blossom in front of her eyes.

The Gift

Rembrandt painted this work as a gift for the House of Orange, the reigning family of the Netherlands, who had previously commissioned the artist for other paintings. There is not much written about how or where the painting was displayed. However, the gift of the painting paired with its subject might lend a hand into the greater meaning behind what it was made to symbolize. The depiction of the blinding of Samson by the Philistines can serve as both a message of triumph and as a warning. The triumph can be seen as the Philistines defeating Samson, likening it to victories of the House of Orange. The painting can also serve to warn against complacency in the seat of power while, when paired with the greater context and knowledge of how the story of Samson and Delilah plays out, offering a message of perseverance in times of hardship.

External links

• Die Blendung Simsons
• The Blinding of Samson by REMBRANDT Harmenszoon van Rijn