Name of Object:Susanna and the Old Men Location:Rome, Latium, Italy Holding Museum:Borghese Gallery Date of Object:1655 Artist(s) / Craftsperson(s):Gerrit van Honthorst (also known as Gherardo delle Notti ) (1592, Utrecht (Netherlands)-1656, Utrecht (Netherlands)) Museum Inventory Number:27 Material(s) / Technique(s):Oil on canvas Dimensions:h: 157 cm; w: 213 cm Provenance:Marcantonio IV Borghese Collection (?) Type of object:Painting Description:The painting, signed and dated, was acquired by Marcantonio IV Borghese in 1783 along with other works of the Flemish school. No details are known about the commissioning of the canvas, which, like the Rubens' example (inv.277), handles a subject common to painting of the Counter-Reformation. The account is taken from the Old Testament, specifically the Book of the Prophet Daniel (13, 1–64), and illustrates well the defeat of deception, expressed by the two old men – shown with lustful eyes and faces – and the victory of truth, represented by the naked Susanna. The subject is connected to the representation of the emotions according to the experimentation of Bernini and Reni among others. The theme of the painting relates to the concept of deception being defeated by divine truth. Original Owner:Unknown Current Owner:Italian State How Object was obtained:The Borghese Collection was acquired by the Italian State in 1902. Selected bibliography:Della Pergola, P., Galleria Borghese. I Dipinti, II, Rome, 1959, n.239, pp. 165–166. Additional Copyright Information:Copyright image: Archivio fotografico Soprintendenza Speciale PSAE e Polo Museale della Città di Roma. Citation of this web page:Sofia Barchiesi "Susanna and the Old Men" in "Discover Baroque Art", Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://baroqueart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;BAR;it;Mus11;42;en Prepared by: Sofia Barchiesi
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