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Samson and the Lion

A work made of marble.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of marble.

Date:

1604/07

Artist:

Cristoforo Stati
Italian, c. 1556-1619

About this artwork

Samson’s encounter with a lion was one of the legendary Israelite hero’s earliest feats. Here, Cristoforo Stati emphasized Samson’s bulging muscles as he effortlessly tears apart the lion’s jaw. Stati studied in Florence under Flemish-born artist Jean de Boulogne, called Giambologna. In 1601 Ferdinando I de’ Medici, Archduke of Tuscany, sent a sculpture of Samson by Giambologna as a diplomatic gift to the Duke of Lerma, the prime minister of Spain. After that work traveled from Florence to Lerma’s palace in Valladolid, the duke sought another scene to pair with it and commissioned Giambologna’s follower, Stati. In the ensuing years, the Spanish capital moved from Valladolid back to Madrid, where the sculpture seen here was installed. Stati created the twisting figures to complement the work of his mentor, who favored compositions meant to be viewed from all sides.

Status

On View, Gallery 200

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Cristoforo Stati

Title

Samson and the Lion

Place

Italy (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1604–1607

Medium

Marble

Dimensions

210 × 112 × 84 cm (82 11/16 × 44 1/8 × 33 1/8 in.)

Credit Line

Chester D. Tripp Fund

Reference Number

1997.335

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/146875/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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