Delilah

David Aronson, Delilah, 1961, bronze, 23 5813 3414 12 in. (60.034.836.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of David Aronson, 1966.74.2

Artwork Details

Title
Delilah
Date
1961
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
23 5813 3414 12 in. (60.034.836.9 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of David Aronson
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Subjects
  • Religion — Old Testament — Delilah
Object Number
1966.74.2

Artwork Description

According to the Old Testament, Samson was a powerful Jewish leader who fell in love with the Philistine princess Delilah. When she found that the source of Samson’s strength was his uncut hair, she betrayed him to Philistine soldiers, who cut his locks, gouged out his eyes, and put him on display. David Aronson chose to represent the two figures as they were after Delilah’s betrayal. The faces and postures of Aronson’s roughly modeled, abstract figures express the violence and tragedy of the scene.

Works by this artist (231 items)

Sean Scully, Maesta, 1983, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2004.1A-C, © 1983, Sean Scully
Maesta
Date1983
oil on canvas
On view
Sean Scully, Pomes Penyeach (by James Joyce), 1993, book, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2001.79.44.1-13, © 1993, Sean Scully
Pomes Penyeach (by James Joyce)
Date1993
book
Not on view
Sean Scully, Untitled (print # 4), from the portfolio Five Unions, 1996, etching, aquatint, sugarlift, and spitbite on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2001.79.66.4, © 1996, Sean Scully
Untitled (print # 4), from the portfolio Five Unions
Date1996
etching, aquatint, sugarlift, and spitbite on paper
Not on view

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Claire Falkenstein, Untitled, 1976, embossed paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.18, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
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Date1976
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Claire Falkenstein, Mandala, 1977, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.19, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
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Les Quais de la Seine a Paris
Date1917
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