03 — ARTWORK
Samson Destroying the Temple of the Philistines
- MEDIUM
- Bronze
- TYPE
- Religious
PALETTE
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- FILE
- 1000 × 784 px · JPEG
COMMENTARY
UNDERLINED TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE GLOSSARY.
Between 1484 and 1490 Bellano made ten bronzeAn alloy of copper (usually about 90 per cent) and tin, often also containing small amounts of other metals such as lead or zinc. Since antiquity it has been the metal most commonly used in cast sculpture because of its strength, durability, and the fact that it is easily workable - both hot and cold - by a variety of processes. It is easier to cast than copper because it has a lower melting-point, and its great tensile strength makes possible the protrusion of unsupported parts - an advantage over marble sculpture. The colour of bronze is affected by the proportion of tin or other metals present, varying from silverish to a rich, coppery red, and its surface beauty can be enhanced when it acquires a patina. reliefs illustrating scenes from the Old Testament for the choirthe part of a church interior, usually raised and set apart from the rest of the church, reserved for the clergy to pray together, or for choral singing. Since Carolingian times, "choir" has been the word for the part of the central nave of the church extending over the crossing (the place where nave and transept intersect), and including the apse (a niche in the wall, roofed with a half dome) that often stands at the end of this area.-screen in the Santo in Padua. Initially, the commission had been given to Bertoldo di Giovanni and Giovanni Fonduli, but their trial reliefs were found to be unsatisfactory, and in November 1484 Bellano was commissioned to make the whole cycle.
The ten reliefs are rightly considered among the most prestigious commissions of Bellano's career. He boldly and purposefully broke with the bronze narrative tradition of both Ghiberti and Donatello, renowned masters of the medium, to create a different type of narrative in bronze. Bellano's first reliefA sculptural work in which all or part projects from the flat surface. There are three basic forms: low relief (bas-relief, basso rilievo), in which figures project less than half their depth from the background; medium relief (mezzo-rilievo), in which figures are seen half round; and high relief (alto rilievo), in which figures are almost detached from their background., Samson Destroying the Temple of the Philistines (in situ), is his masterpieceA term now loosely applied to the finest work by a particular artist or to any work of art of acknowledged greatness or of preeminence in its field. Originally it meant the piece of work by which a craftsman, having finished his training, gained the rank of'master' in his guild.. Vasari praised the dramatic depiction of the scene. The panels are remarkable for their unconventional compositions in which numerous small-scale figures and animals stand out in high relief against mountainous landscape settings. Bellano proved himself to be a remarkable narrative artist.
CITE THIS RECORD — BIBTEX
@online{wga-r77800a76de2202,
author = {Krén, Emil and Marx, Daniel},
title = {Samson Destroying the Temple of the Philistines by BELLANO, Bartolommeo},
organization = {{Web Gallery of Art}},
date = {2026-09-13},
url = {https://beta.wga.hu/artists/bellano-bartolommeo-r6266f5c18bcb97/samson-destroying-the-temple-of-the-philistines-r77800a76de2202},
urldate = {2026-09-13},
langid = {english}
}ACCESSED 2026-09-13. REPLACE THE AUTHOR FIELD WITH THE COMMENTARY AUTHOR WHERE ONE IS NAMED.
