Susanna and the Elders

Download3000 × 2258 px View on a wall Edit

Artist: Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, 1593–1678)
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 153.5 × 203 cm
Museum: SMK – National Gallery of Denmark
Rights: Public Domain Mark

In just a moment the woman will notice the two old men reaching for her. Her attentive dog is already barking loudly, for they are intruders who will de mand sex from her. As man's close friend the dog is a symbol of fidelity - and in this case it is also, by extension, a symbol of the young woman's virtue. Depictions of dogs appear as far back as ancient Egypt, and images of working dogs and lapdogs are widespread across many cultures and eras. The dog in this painting may be an early pug.

The breed was imported into Europe from China in the 16th century. but at that time it had a longer muzzle and a more slender body than today. The story about Susanna is from a part of the Bible not used by Protestant faiths. The beautiful woman is accosted by two elders, leading figures of the community, while she is bathing. They threaten to accuse her of adultery unless she submits to their own desires. She refuses them and is just barely rescued from death by the prophet Daniel.