The Elders Falsely Accusing Susanna of Adultery (Daniel 13:28-44)

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Title	The Elders Falsely Accusing Susanna of Adultery (Daniel 13:28-44)
Material and technique	Pen and brown ink, gray-brown wash, indented for transfer, framing lines (twice) with the pen in brown ink, laid down
Object type	Drawing > Two-dimensional object > Art object
Location	This object is in storage

Dimensions	Height 201 mm Width 278 mm
Artists	Draughtsman: Maerten de Vos
Accession number	M de Vos 2 (PK)
Credits	From the estate of F.J.O. Boijmans, 1847
Department	Drawings & Prints
Acquisition date	1847
Creation date	in circa 1580-1585
Signature	'M.D.V.' monogrammed (bottom left, in pen and gray ink)
Condition	smudged all-over, slight foxing, small damages (hole at the left margin, hole at top centre, tear at lower right margin), vertical fold along the centre
Inscriptions	‘M: de Vos’ (verso, at lower right, in pencil)
Collector	Collector / F.J.O. Boijmans
Mark	Museum Boymans (L.1857)
Provenance	F.J.O. Boijmans (1767-1847), Utrecht; bequeathed to the City of Rotterdam, 1847; on permanent loan to the museum since 1849
Exhibitions	Rotterdam 2007 (coll 1 kw 4)
External exhibitions	De kunst van het recht (2016)
Research	Show research Netherlandish Drawings of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries
Literature	cat. 1852, no. 1092; cat. 1869, no. 1494; Cat. 1901, p. 66, no. 925; Reinsch 1967, no. 18.1; Zweite 1980, p. 187, n. 74; New Hollstein 2005-06, p. 95, under no. 79
Material	Paper > Vegetable material > Organic material > Material > Material and technique Brown ink > Ink > Artist's material > Material > Material and technique Pen > Artist's material > Material > Material and technique
Object	Drawing > Two-dimensional object > Art object
Technique	Indenting > Indented > Drawing technique > Technique > Material and technique Indenting > Indented > Drawing technique > Technique > Material and technique Double > Doubled > Adding and binding materials > General technique > Technique > Material and technique Double > Doubled > Adding and binding materials > General technique > Technique > Material and technique Brown wash > Washing > Wash > Drawing technique > Technique > Material and technique Grey wash > Washing > Wash > Drawing technique > Technique > Material and technique
Geographical origin	The Netherlands > Western Europe > Europe

Entry catalogue Netherlandish Drawings of the 15th and 16th Centuries.

Author: Albert J. Elen

This drawing and another (inv.no. M de Vos 3) were acquired with the Frans Boijmans collection when the museum was founded in 1849. These are designs for two prints (in mirror image) from a series of four engraved by Hans Collaert, depicting scenes from the Old Testament story of Susanna (ill. 1).¹ While bathing, the attractive Susanna is secretly observed by two elders (judges). When she refuses their advances, they accuse her of adultery. In this drawing we see Susanna sentenced to death for this sin. Susanna calls upon God and declares her innocence. In the other drawing we see the young boy Daniel sent by God to address the crowd: 'Are you so foolish, you children of Israel, that without examination or knowledge of the truth, you have condemned a daughter of Israel? Return to judgment, for they have borne false witness against her.' Susanna is tried again and found innocent and the elders are condemned to death.²