Pier Leone Ghezzi
Susannah and the Elders, late 1720s - early 1730s
Oil on canvas
125.7 x 171.4 cm. (49 ½ x 67 ½ in.)
Provenance
Private Collection, England, and by descent.
Private Collection, London, acquired from the above in 2004.
Literature
I. Kennedy, ‘A “Susanna and the Elders”, attributed to Pier Leone Ghezzi’, in Studi Romani, Jan. – Dec. 2012, pp. 252-54.
During this time, he acted as curator of the
papal collections and oversaw the decoration
of official buildings which included six large
canvases depicting the Life of Clement XI (1712-
15) at Castel Gandolfo near Lake Albano and
a fresco of the Martyrdom of Saint Ignatius of
Antioch (c.1716) in the Basilica of Saint Clement,
Rome. He was later patronised by Alessandro
Falconieri (who was later made Cardinal in
1724), for whom Ghezzi completed fresco cycles
in both the Castello di Torre in Pietra (1712-32)
and the Villa Falconieri at Frascati (1724-34),
and with which our painting is thought to be
contemporaneous.
The story of Susannah and the Elders is taken from the Old Testament Apocrypha (Susannah 15-24). As the beautiful and virtuous Susannah bathes in her garden, she is startled by two lustful elders, who threaten to accuse her of adultery if she does not submit to them. Susannah refuses and is falsely accused, but her innocence is proven by the young Daniel and she is saved.
The story of Susannah and the Elders is taken from the Old Testament Apocrypha (Susannah 15-24). As the beautiful and virtuous Susannah bathes in her garden, she is startled by two lustful elders, who threaten to accuse her of adultery if she does not submit to them. Susannah refuses and is falsely accused, but her innocence is proven by the young Daniel and she is saved.