Susanna and the two old people (Altdorfer)
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| Susanna and the two old people |
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| Albrecht Altdorfer , 1526 |
| oil on wood |
| 74.8 x 61.2 cm |
| Alte Pinakothek , Munich |
Susanna and the Two Elderly is a painting by the German Renaissance painter Albrecht Altdorfer from 1526. The theme is the Old Testament story of Susanna in the bath , which is often taken up in painting . The picture, painted with oil paint on wood, measures 74.8 cm × 61.2 cm and is entitled Susanna im Bade in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich (inv. No. 698).
Biblical story
According to Dan 13: 1-64 EU there lived in Babylon a rich man named Jojakim, who was married to a beautiful and pious woman named Susanna. Two highly respected old judges frequented his house and fell in love with Susanna. In Dan 13,9 EU it says: “Then the desire for her arose in them. Her thoughts got astray and her eyes went astray. "
They secretly ambushed the woman in the garden when she wanted to take a bath. They harassed them and tried to force them to sleep with them. They said they would otherwise accuse her of committing adultery with a young man. But Susanna stood firm, refused and screamed. The two old people also shouted loudly and had Susanna arrested and declared that they had surprised her in adultery. They then publicly tried the woman and sentenced her to death. When the sentence was about to be carried out, Daniel had divine inspiration and interrogated the two witnesses . He asked her independently under which tree Susanna is said to have cheated on her husband. While one said they did it under a cedar tree , the other said that an oak tree was the scene of the crime. Then the Jewish authorities and the listening people also recognized the two liars, and Susanna was released. But the two false judges were killed.
Representation at Altdorfer
The story of Susanna in the bath was often taken up in painting because it allowed a woman to be depicted undressed. Susanna is seldom dressed, as is the case in this painting. She dipped her feet in a bowl of water while a maid is combing her hair. However, Susanna and her maids are no more than a detail in this painting populated with numerous people. The two old people who are lying in the bushes to Susanna's left are only an insignificant detail, almost completely disappearing into the foliage.
The painting is dominated by the palace of Jojakim. With the emphasis on the palace instead of the scene that gives the painting its name, it is one of the most extraordinary depictions of Susanna in the bath.
literature
- Jacques Bonnet: The Bathers - Voyeurism in Western Art . Parthas Verlag, Berlin 2006, ISBN 978-3-86601-088-8 .
- Rudolf Reiser: Albrecht Altdorfer - the political painter. The master of the Danube School introduces us to 'Susanna in the bath' (Alte Pinakothek) in 1526 as a Regensburg woman between home peace and Turkish wars . In: Konrad Maria Färber (Ed.): Greetings from the sixties. Regensburg Almanac . MZ Buchverlag, Regensburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-934863-48-4 , pp. 164-171.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Die Pinakotheken: Susanna im Bade , accessed on September 24, 2016