Simson en Delila 1797

"Simson en Delila" (1797) is an etching by Dutch artist Reinier Vinkeles (1741-1816). It depicts a scene from the biblical story of Samson and Delilah, where Delilah, at the behest of the Philistines, cuts Samson's hair, thus robbing him of his strength. Vinkeles's composition captures the drama of the moment, with Samson's head bowed in defeat as Delilah wields the shears. The etching, now in the Rijksmuseum, is a fine example of Vinkeles's mastery of line and detail, which he uses to evoke the tension and pathos of the story.