Susannah and the Elders

Arnold Houbraken 1660 - 1719

Summary

Houbraken specialised in small-scale history paintings, such as this. The story is taken from The Bible, Daniel 13. Susannah is disturbed at her bath by two elders. Here she is shown clutching at the robe covering her lower body, while one of the men attempts to lift it away. His bald companion strains forward to catch a glimpse of her naked breasts. On the right is a statue of the infant Hercules holding two serpents, from whose mouths pour two thin spouts of water. Houbraken trained in Dordrecht under Samuel Hoogstraten, himself a pupil and follower of Rembrandt, although he is best known for his writings on his fellow artists. This work is in the classicising style that swept through Holland in the last quarter of the century.