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Mol, Pieter van (attributed to)
Susanna and the Elders
1640s

Susanna, the victim of threats by two lustful elders as told in the Book of Daniel (13:1–63), is depicted here in a contorted pose of modesty that conveys her conflicted response to the elders’ coercion. That she chooses death over sexual assault reflects a variety of historical gender codes, but she embraces her agency by enacting her power of choice. This subject was often exploited for its erotic potential in the seventeenth century, and the soft characterization of flesh by Pieter van Mol is enriched by the rich palette and bold scale.

 
Mol, Pieter van (attributed to)
Antwerp, Belgium 1599–Paris, France 1650
Susanna and the Elders
1640s
Oil on panel
106.7 x 81.3 cm
Gift of Alfred and Isabel Bader, 2014
57-001.22

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