Rijksmuseum

Triomf over de dood: Simson draagt de deuren van de poort van Gaza | Hercules doodt de centaur Nessus

Date

c. 1550 - c. 1560

Medium

panel, oil paint (paint)

Institution

Rijksmuseum

Samson escaped his murderers by wrenching apart the city gate of Gaza hinges and all, and running up the hill. In Heemskerk’s time this scene was considered as the forerunner (prefiguration) of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Hercules also triumphs over death here. He kills the centaur Nessus, whose poisonous blood would prove fatal to Hercules years later, resulting in his eternal life on Mount Olympus.

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