“Susannah and the Elders” by Rembrandt

Susannah and the Elders by Rembrandt depicts a religious theme in art that was not as common in Holland due to the rise of Protestantism and a loss of favor for the Catholic traditions.

However, Rembrandt continued to explore Biblical themes, despite their waning popularity in Holland.

Susanna and the Elders is a story from the Book of Daniel in the Bible. Susanna was a fair Hebrew wife who was falsely accused by lecherous voyeurs. As she bathes in her garden, two lustful elders secretly spy on the lovely Susanna.

When she makes her way back to her house, they accost her, threatening to claim that she met a young man in the garden unless she agrees to have sex with them.

Susanna refuses to be blackmailed and is arrested and about to be put to death for promiscuity.

Then the young Daniel interrupts the proceedings, shouting that the elders should be questioned to prevent an innocent’s death.

After being separated, the two men are cross-examined about details of what they saw. Their individual testimony was different.

The difference in their two stories makes the elders’ lie plain to all the observers. The false accusers are put to death, and virtue triumphs.

Rembrandt initially based his painting on one by his teacher, Pieter Lastman. However, it is notably different in composition except for some similarities in the background.

Rembrandt’s figures are all active, with one elder taking hold of Susanna’s clothing while she twists to getaway.

In 2015 it was discovered that the painter Sir Joshua Reynolds had altered Rembrant’s work after obtaining it for his collection in the late 18th century.

X-ray scans have revealed that large portions of the original work had been painted over, and other parts were removed.

Reynolds made modifications to most of the background, leaving only Rembrandt’s figures, the place in the distance, and a few foreground elements untouched.

It is unclear exactly why, but Reynolds was known for modifying works in his collection.

“Susannah and the Elders” by Rembrandt

Title: Susannah and the Elders
Artist: Rembrandt
Date: 1647
Medium: oil on mahogany panel
Dimensions: Height: 83.8 cm (32.9″); Width: 65.4 cm (25.7″)
Museum: Gemäldegalerie, Berlin

Rembrandt

Name: Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn
Born: 1606 – Leiden, Dutch Republic (now the Netherlands)
Died: 1669 (aged 63) – Amsterdam, Dutch Republic (Netherlands)
Nationality: Dutch
Movement: Dutch Golden Age, Baroque

A Tour of Famous Bible Paintings

The Creation Of Adam – Michelangelo
The Last Supper – Leonardo da Vinci
Pietà by Michelangelo
“The Holy Trinity” by El Greco
“Christ in the House of His Parents” by John Everett Millais
Saint Helena by Andrea Bolgi
Saint Longinus by Bernini
Saint Andrew by Francois Duquesnoy
Saint Veronica by Francesco Mochi
“Saint Michael and the Dragon” by the Sienese School
Black St George Icon
“The Repentant Saint Peter” by El Greco
“The Tears of Saint Peter” by El Greco
“Saint Jerome as Scholar” by El Greco (The MET)

Susannah and the Elders

“Saint Jerome Penitent” by El Greco
“Saint Francis in the Desert” by Giovanni Bellini
“Saint Luke painting the Virgin” by Master of the Holy Blood
“Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary” by Raphael
“Crucifixion” by Giovanni Donato da Montorfano
Crucifixion Diptych” by Rogier van der Weyden
“The Virgin and Child with St. Anne” by Leonardo da Vinci
The Crucifixion and The Last Judgment Diptych by Jan van Eyck (MET)
Annunciation Triptych (Merode Altarpiece) by Robert Campin (MET)
The Belles Heures of Jean of France, Duke of Berry
Wilton Diptych
“The Raising of Lazarus” by Sebastiano del Piombo
“Salvator Mundi” by Albrecht Dürer
“Salvator Mundi” by Andrea Previtali
“Baptism of Christ” by Jacopo Bassano
“Crucifix” by Master of Saint Francis
“The Virgin and Child” by Master of the Clarisse
“The Virgin and Child Enthroned, with Narrative Scenes” by Margarito d’Arezzo
“Samson and Delilah” by Peter Paul Rubens

Susanna and the Elders

“The Annunciation” by Duccio
“The Healing of the Man Born Blind” by Duccio
Christ by Emmanuel Lambardos
Pilgrim’s Bottle of Saint Menas
“Massacre of the Innocents” by Peter Paul Rubens
“Christ and the Woman of Samaria” by Rembrandt
“The Last Supper” by Ugolino di Nerio
“The Madonna of the Pinks” by Raphael
“Mary Magdalene” by Girolamo Savoldo
“Supper at Emmaus” by Caravaggio
“Virgin of the Rocks” by Leonardo da Vinci
“Saint George and the Dragon” by Tintoretto
Madonna in the Meadow by Raphael
The Alba Madonna by Raphael
Small Cowper Madonna by Raphael
“Adoration of the Magi” by Botticelli
“Judith Slaying Holofernes” by Artemisia Gentileschi
“Christ in the House of Martha and Mary” by Diego Velázquez
“The Finding of the Savior in the Temple” by William Holman Hunt
Maestà by Duccio

Susanna and the Elders

Susanna & the Elders

~~~

“I am completely trapped.
For if I do this, it will mean death for me;
if I do not, I cannot escape your hands.
I choose not to do it;
I will fall into your hands, rather than sin in the sight of the Lord.”
– Susanna 22–23

~~~

Photo Credit: Rembrandt / Public domain

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