Oil on canvas, possibly a workshop version of the version considered to be the original preserved in the Dúlwich Picture Gallery in London (accession code DPG127). Framed measurements: 157 x 232 cm. Canvas measures: 150 x 225 cm. Provenance: important Spanish private collection. Based on a passage from the Old Testament, Samson represents the struggle of the Jewish people against the Philistines. He was the son of Manoah and a barren woman. When an angel from heaven appeared to them and predicted that they would have a son who would free the people of Israel from the Philistines. Samson is born with a miraculous strength that he could lose only if his hair was cut. In an episode of his life, after a failed marriage, Samson falls in love with Delilah, a Philistine woman. The Philistines try to bribe Delilah with silver coins in exchange for discovering how to take away Samson's secret strength. After several attempts, Samson finally confesses the secret to Delilah and a servant ends up cutting seven braids from his hair. The Philistines end up capturing him, gouging out his eyes and taking him to Gaza where he worked grinding grain for his enemies. Later, before the attempt of the Philistines to sacrifice to their God, Dagon, in his temple, Samson invokes Yahweh to recover his strength for the last time, and collapsing the columns, he achieves the death of more than three thousand Philistines but he dies too . Samson appears from the rubble and is buried in the family tomb. In the composition we see how Anton Van Dyck represents Samson asleep on Delilah's lap and the Philistine barber is about to cut his hair with scissors, while Delilah delicately removes the cloth that Samson has on his hair. Behind Delilah, an elderly woman and a young woman observe the scene, curious and surprised. The composition is charged with a strong eroticism that is represented by Dalila's semi-nude. Bibliography: BERNARDINI, Maria Grazia, Van Dyck — Riflessi italiani, Skira, Milan 2004, ISBN 88-8491-850-2. The composition is charged with a strong eroticism that is represented by Dalila's semi-nude. Bibliography: BERNARDINI, Maria Grazia, Van Dyck — Riflessi italiani, Skira, Milan 2004, ISBN 88-8491-850-2. The composition is charged with a strong eroticism that is represented by Dalila's semi-nude. Bibliography: BERNARDINI, Maria Grazia, Van Dyck — Riflessi italiani, Skira, Milan 2004, ISBN 88-8491-850-2.