Samson

Passionate about hair and the decorative effects he could produce with it, Bourdelle could not resist the story of Samson, known for the superhuman strength that lay in his luxuriant hair, which could not be cut off on pain of losing his powers. The hair participates in the twisting movement of the character.

This work shows Samson, a biblical figure from the Book of Judges. Son of Manoah, he was conceived miraculously, and his life was devoted to Yahweh. In adulthood, he became blessed with extraordinary strength. However, Bourdelle depicts him as a youth here, with a supple and willowy body. His face is marked by determination.

This work, which remained in maquette form, was never developed in other materials. Produced by successive additions of small quantities of clay, the figure was first created nude and then covered with cloth. It is characteristic of the work of modelling. In some places, it is even possible to see the artist’s fingerprints in the material.

Bourdelle shows Samson bringing down a Philistine and brandishing the jawbone of a donkey as a weapon. The man on the ground is inspired by the tortured figures depicted by Rodin in his Porte de l’Enfer (The Gates of Hell].