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Lot Essay
According to the Old Testament (Judges 13-16), Samson's parents, who were unable to conceive, were visited by an angel of the Lord who told them they would have a child who would liberate the Israelites from the Philistines, but they would have to swear to never cut his hair. Blessed with incredible strength, Samson went on to defeat the Philistine army on numerous occasions. Eventually Samson fell in love with Delilah, a Philistine woman. Unbeknownst to him she was soon charged by Philistine officials to learn the secret of his strength. Having discovered the source of his power, Delilah lulled him to sleep and ordered her servant to cut off his hair. In his weakened state, Samson was seized by Philistine soldiers and blinded. While enslaved by the Philistines, Samson's locks grew back, and with it his divine strength returned. Simon de Myle depicts here Samson’s final moments, in which he uses his renewed strength to tear down the pillars of the Philistine temple, killing himself and the Philistines within it.
This rare work is by the eccentric artist Simon de Myle. Little is known of his life, though it is thought he may have been a member of the van der Mijl (also known as Myle, Meijl or Meyle) family from the south of Holland. This hypothesis is supported by the northern influences in de Myle’s work which invite comparison with the Flemish Mannerists, particularly those influenced by Italian painting, who elongated their figures and incorporated elements of classical architecture into their compositions. Similarly, here, de Myle’s Old Testament temple is represented with contemporary Renaissance architecture. De Myle’s works are characterized by his use of specific anatomical types; his figures have long, languid limbs and diminutive heads, with distinctly elongated facial profiles and small, sunken eyes, exemplified here in the man at center, looking toward Samson. This figure can be compared with the artist’s only known signed painting, Noah’s Ark (fig. 1), which sold in 2011 (Sotheby’s, Paris, 23 May 2011, lot 30). At the time of the present panel's sale in 2023 (loc. cit.), it was considered to be the work of an anonymous painter in the circle of Anton Caron. Citing de Myle’s similarity in style to Caron, John Ehrmann hypothesizes that the artist may have traveled to France or was perhaps himself of French origin (J. Ehrmann, 'Artistes franco-flamands de l'école de Fontainebleau et actes notariaux sur la famille d'Antoine Caron', Bulletin de la Société de l'Histoire de l'Art Français, Paris, 1972).
This rare work is by the eccentric artist Simon de Myle. Little is known of his life, though it is thought he may have been a member of the van der Mijl (also known as Myle, Meijl or Meyle) family from the south of Holland. This hypothesis is supported by the northern influences in de Myle’s work which invite comparison with the Flemish Mannerists, particularly those influenced by Italian painting, who elongated their figures and incorporated elements of classical architecture into their compositions. Similarly, here, de Myle’s Old Testament temple is represented with contemporary Renaissance architecture. De Myle’s works are characterized by his use of specific anatomical types; his figures have long, languid limbs and diminutive heads, with distinctly elongated facial profiles and small, sunken eyes, exemplified here in the man at center, looking toward Samson. This figure can be compared with the artist’s only known signed painting, Noah’s Ark (fig. 1), which sold in 2011 (Sotheby’s, Paris, 23 May 2011, lot 30). At the time of the present panel's sale in 2023 (loc. cit.), it was considered to be the work of an anonymous painter in the circle of Anton Caron. Citing de Myle’s similarity in style to Caron, John Ehrmann hypothesizes that the artist may have traveled to France or was perhaps himself of French origin (J. Ehrmann, 'Artistes franco-flamands de l'école de Fontainebleau et actes notariaux sur la famille d'Antoine Caron', Bulletin de la Société de l'Histoire de l'Art Français, Paris, 1972).