Netherlandish, 17th century
Susannah and the Elders
No reserve
Lot Closed
February 11, 03:13 PM GMT
Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 USD
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Read more.Lot Details
Description
boxwood, within a later giltwood frame
relief height 5 ⅜ in.; width 7 ⅝ in.
13.7 cm; 19.4 cm
framed height 11 in.; width 13 ⅛ in.
27.7 cm; 33.4 cm
Salomon Stodel Antiquities;
From whom acquired by Aso O. Tavitian at TEFAF Maastricht, 12 March 2008.
The story of Susannah and the Elders is a part of the Book of Daniel, which accounts the trials and tribulations of the eponymous character, a noble Jewish man who was exiled from Babylon.
According to this book, Susannah, the beautiful Hebrew wife of a wealthy man, sent away her servants so she could bathe in private. While she was at her bath, two old men saw her and immediately became filled with lust and later tried to assault her. Susannah was arrested for adultery, put on trial publicly, and, despite her innocence, sentenced to death. As she was being taken away, she prayed to God to intervene, and, at that moment, Daniel exclaimed "I want no part in shedding this woman’s blood!” He then demanded that the elders be questioned separately and during this interrogation, it became clear that they were bearing false witness. For their crimes, the two men were sentenced to death, the same fate that Susannah had faced.