Samson: Heroes and Heroines of the Old Testament

A muscular Samson is shown from a rear perspective, his body coiled in a dramatic Mannerist pose. He holds the jawbone of a donkey, while the background illustrates the preceding battle where he decimated the Philistine army. The engraving uses dynamic, swelling lines to emphasize the hero's physical power and the texture of his windswept hair and clothing.

Samson was frequently interpreted in Renaissance Neoplatonism as a solar hero and a biblical parallel to Hercules, representing the triumph of divine will through physical form. Goltzius’s focus on the exaggerated musculature reflects the Mannerist interest in 'virtù'—the inner power of the soul manifested as outward physical strength.