Alexandre Cabanel (French, 1823–1889)

By the 1860s Alexandre Cabanel had firmly established himself as an academic painter. His work was often compared favourably with that of William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Jean-Léon Gérôme and he was the recipient of numerous honours for his work. In 1839 he studied under François-Edouard Picot at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. It was Picot who impressed upon him the importance of selecting historical and literary subjects as the basis of his paintings; a lesson that Cabanel faithfully adhered to throughout his career.
The Israelite hero Samson was granted great strength from God in order to defend his people against their Philistine oppressors. After having defeated the Philistines’ army, Samson fell in love with the seductive Delilah, a Philistine. Delilah was approached by agents from the Philistines' rulers, who bribed her to find out the secret of Samson’s power: three times he teased her with misleading information, but when she asked him a fourth time, he confessed that his power was linked to his long hair. If he were ever to cut his hair or shave, this would be a breach of his vow to God and deprive him of his strength.
The present lot depicts a moment in the story of Samson and Delilah just before Delilah cuts Samson’s hair. Delilah is the dominating figure in the present composition and the focus of the artist. Her pale skin shines against the dark background and gives her an ethereal and almost mystic character.