Spanish school; ca. 1850. "Susana and the old men". Oil on canvas.

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OLD MASTERS

By Setdart Auction House

Nov 3, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-11-03 08:00:00 2021-11-03 08:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : OLD MASTERS https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/setdart-auction-house/old-masters-7786
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• Lot Description
  Spanish school; ca. 1850. "Susana and the old men". Oil on canvas. Measurements: 73 x 57 cm; 83 x 65.5 cm (frame). We see in this painting the theme of Susanna in the bath, a story told in the Old Testament, specifically in the Book of Daniel. It belongs to the Greek version of the Bible, known as the Septuagint, whose origin dates back to the third century B.C. Susanna was a beautiful and chaste woman, wife of Joachim, a rich Jew of the Babylonian Exile. She is seen and desired by two elders who had been appointed judges among the Jews in exile; both agree to surprise her alone and convince her to give herself to them. In the most widespread version in the art of the story, this occurs during the young woman's bath. Susanna, however, confronts the elders, and tells them that she prefers death to sin. The men, seeing themselves rejected, accuse Susanna of adultery, and she is brought to trial, where they falsely testify against her. In view of the importance of her accusers, Susanna is condemned to death by stoning. However, on the way to her death the prophet Daniel, who is then only a child, stops the popular procession and rebukes the people for acting without full knowledge of the cause, and asks to separate the two elders for intelligent questioning. The two false witnesses then fall into contradiction in their statements, and are condemned to death instead of Susana. By the type of workmanship and dynamic composition the work is very reminiscent of some of the works of Antonio María Esquivel (Seville, 1806 - Madrid, 1857). Esquivel was the most representative and prolific painter of Sevillian romanticism, and one of the most outstanding of his time in Spain. His life was a true romantic plea; lost his fortune after the death of his father, he was orphaned and poor, with seventeen years he enlisted against the absolutist cause of the Duke of Angoulême, and did not live comfortably until his move to Madrid in 1831.
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