Samson Betrayed

Frederick Richard Pickersgill R.A. 1820 - 1900

Summary

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. To the right, two women look back over their shoulders towards the action; one of these women is almost naked. Her companion’s face is visible: she has wide staring eyes. The mountainous landscape background is partially hidden by a heavy green drapery and thick stone column.

Display Label

A New Market Public and Private Collections in the Early 19th Century In the wake of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, merchants and manufacturers increasingly bought art. Their grand homes often housed impressive collections, helping to reinforce a rise in social status. As the middle classes entered positions in public life they also acquired art for important civic buildings, including town halls and the Houses of Parliament. Other bodies, such as the Royal Manchester Institution, were founded for the promotion of science and the arts. The RMI was funded by public subscription from 1823 and along with its collection was based in this building. Its holdings and the Gallery were given to the City in 1882. Boosted by national pride through export and empire, the new patrons preferred contemporary British art. This represented a shift away from 18th-century taste, which had been led by the aristocracy and gentry and mainly favoured continental old masters. Seriousness and morality remained important in art and painters continued to adopt Grand-Style subjects derived from biblical, historical and classical sources. They inevitably responded to popular demand, however, and often strayed into sentimentality and eroticism.