Triumph over Evil: Samson Rending the Lion | Pluto and Cerberus, Maarten van Heemskerck, c. 1555
paint, h 46.8cm × w 15.1cm More details
The young, beardless Samson ripped a ferocious lion apart with just his bare hands. In Heemskerck’s time, this story was regarded as the forerunner (prefiguration) of Christ’s victory over the devil. Pluto, recognizable by his three-headed dog Cerberus, was the guardian of the underworld in classical mythology. In the 16th century he was also identified with the devil from Christianity.
