Susanna and the Elders. 1647 - 1726

Gregorio de' Ferrari rendered this evocative scene of Susanna and the Elders in ink on paper. Here, Susanna is surprised at her bath by two lecherous old men, who lurk with sinister intent. The fountain, adorned with classical figures, stands as a silent witness to this unfolding drama, a stage upon which desires and moral conflicts play out. The motif of the voyeur, the hidden observer, echoes through centuries of art, from ancient Greek myths to Renaissance paintings. Think of Actaeon, transformed into a stag for glimpsing Diana, or the many depictions of bathers surprised by satyrs. This theme embodies a primal fear of exposure, of vulnerability, and the loss of innocence. The emotional charge is palpable—Susanna’s desperate plea, the elders’ predatory gaze. It’s a dance of power and fragility. These archetypes persist, their forms evolving, but their essence remaining—symbols of our timeless struggles with morality and the subconscious. The past is never truly gone. It resurfaces, transformed, in every new image we create.