Not on display

Samson carrying the Gates of Gaza

Relief
17th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This ivory relief was made in ca. 1630 in Prague (Bohemia) by Jan Jiří (Johann Georg) Bendl. It represents Samson carrying the Gates of Gaza.

Jan Jiří Bendl (before 1620-1680) was of one of a family of sculptors active in Prague in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He worked mainly on monumental sculpture in stone and wood, his most famous sculpture being the Marian column formerly in the Old Town Square, Prague, now in the Lapidarium, National Museum, Prague.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleSamson carrying the Gates of Gaza (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Ivory
Brief description
Relief, ivory, Samson carrying the Gates of Gaza, by Jan Jiří (Johann Georg) Bendl, Bohemia (Prague), ca. 1630
Physical description
From a walled town in the left background, Samson in flowing cloak ascends a hill towards a wood on the right, carrying the Gates of Gaza. The gates are adorned with elaborate hinges, and details which are almost humorous in their everyday quality are depicted in the landscape: animls, including rabbits and stoats, run alongside Samson, and rabbit holes are to be seen in the ground.
Dimensions
  • Height: 9cm
  • Width: 15.4cm
Credit line
Given by Dr W. L. Hildburgh FSA
Object history
Given by Dr W.L. Hildburgh F.S.A. in 1949; formerly on loan from Dr Hildburgh.
Subject depicted
Summary
This ivory relief was made in ca. 1630 in Prague (Bohemia) by Jan Jiří (Johann Georg) Bendl. It represents Samson carrying the Gates of Gaza.

Jan Jiří Bendl (before 1620-1680) was of one of a family of sculptors active in Prague in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He worked mainly on monumental sculpture in stone and wood, his most famous sculpture being the Marian column formerly in the Old Town Square, Prague, now in the Lapidarium, National Museum, Prague.
Bibliographic references
  • Theuerkauff, Christian. Johann Ignaz Bendl: Sculptor and Medalist. Metropolitan Museum Journal. Vol. 26, 1991, p. 269, note 72
  • Trusted, Marjorie, Baroque & Later Ivories, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2013, cat. no. 5, p. 10
Collection
Accession number
A.27-1949

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Record createdJanuary 13, 2004
Record URL
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