Art Institute of Chicago

Samson Killing the Lion

Nicolaes de Bruyn (Flemish, 1571-1656)

Date

1603

Medium

Engraving in black on ivory laid paper

Culture

Flanders

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The majority of Nicolaes de Bruyn’s work in the first decade of the 17th century consists of engravings after designs by Gillis van Coninxloo, a Netherlandish draftsman who was a generation older than De Bruyn. Highly influenced by his training in tapestry making, Coninxloo focused on the depiction of the heroic landscape, an interpretation of nature based on reality but with an emphasis on the ideal. De Bruyn followed the style of Coninxloo in his own designs, frequently including a small biblical subject within his landscapes. Here the immense and elaborate forest landscape overwhelms the tiny Samson and downplays the urgency of his fight with the lion.

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