The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Samson Rending the Lion

1450–67

Master ES

(German, active 1450–67)
Germany
engraving
Grace Rainey Rogers Fund 1948.456
Catalogue raisonné: Lehrs II.48.4; Geisberg 4, repr. pl; 4, p. 147
Location: Not on view

Description

The biblical hero Samson appears here as a fantastical medieval courtier, proving his courage and strength by slaying a lion with his bare hands. Viewers familiar with Samson’s story would have identified the courtly maiden as the woman of Timnah, a heathen who marries Samson, but betrays him during their wedding. The idea that even history’s greatest men succumbed to the power of women was a popular one in early prints.
  • Francis, Henry. "The Engravings of the Master E.S." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 38, no. 9 (November 1951): 307-211. Mentioned: p. 209; Reproduced: p. 215 www.jstor.org
  • Sacred and Profane in Late Gothic Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 2-August 2, 1987).
    Albrecht Dürer - 500th Anniversary. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 19-March 28, 1971).
    Prints and Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 6-September 9, 1965).
    Prints 1400-1800. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (December 18, 1956-January 20, 1957); The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL (February 1-March 3, 1957); Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN (November 1-December 1, 1957).
    35th Anniversary Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 20-September 30, 1951).
  • {{cite web|title=Samson Rending the Lion|url=false|author=Master ES|year=1450–67|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1948.456