Art, Symbol & Imagination
Samson Slaying the Lion
A man grapples with a lion in an open rocky landscape, his body bent closely over the animal. Small distant figures and a sparse tree leave most of the foreground unoccupied. Doré concentrates the struggle in two intertwined bodies instead of surrounding it with a crowd. The caption identifies Samson's encounter with the lion. The animal's extended limbs and the man's braced posture make exertion visible through opposing curves. The broad pale sky keeps the action isolated, so that the close physical contest remains legible against the otherwise quiet country.
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Citation
Gustave Doré (design). "Samson Slaying the Lion" [editorial title]. In The Bible Gallery, Gustave Dore; Talbot W. Chambers. Undated Cassell & Company edition; one hundred illustrations with supplied descriptive letterpress, undated edition, Cassell & Company, Limited. Source scan leaf 109. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/bible-dore-108
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Original source design and caption inspected; composition retained with scan margins trimmed. No reconstructed or recoloured details.
Sources
From the book
The Bible GalleryGustave Dore; Talbot W. ChambersUndated editionMore from this book
All 98 illustrations
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Cite this illustration
Gustave Doré (design). Samson Slaying the Lion. The Bible Gallery. Scan leaf 109. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/bible-dore-108