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Description

The young, beardless Samson ripped a ferocious lion apart with just his bare hands. In Heemskerck’s time, this story was regarded as the forerunner (prefiguration) of Christ’s victory over the devil. Pluto, recognizable by his three-headed dog Cerberus, was the guardian of the underworld in classical mythology. In the 16th century he was also identified with the devil from Christianity.

Triomf over het kwaad: Simson verscheurt de leeuw | Pluto en Cerberus

c. 1550 - c. 1560

Accession Number

N/A

Medium

N/A

Dimensions

height 45.7 cm (painted surface) x width 14.7 cm (painted surface)

Classification

Painting

Museum

Rijksmuseum

Amsterdam, Netherlands

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