Susanna and the Elders in the Garden, and the Trial of Susanna before the Elders
Master of Apollo and Daphne·c. 1500
Historical Context
The Master of Apollo and Daphne's cassone panel depicts scenes from the Story of Susanna and the Elders, a popular Old Testament narrative about a virtuous woman falsely accused by corrupt judges. This Florentine cassone painting from around 1500 served both as decoration for a marriage chest and as a moral exemplar for the bride. The story of Susanna's vindication carried particular resonance as a tale of female virtue triumphant.
Technical Analysis
The tempera-on-panel technique employs the characteristic bright, flat colors and continuous narrative format of cassone painting. The garden and tribunal settings divide the panel into distinct narrative episodes, allowing the story to unfold in legible sequence.
Provenance
Trotti and Company, Paris, by 1915 [see Paul Schubring, 1915, p. 301]; sold by the Ehrich Galleries, New York, to Martin A. Ryerson (d. 1932), Chicago, 1917 [entry in Ryerson’s notebook, April 24, 1917, see Ryerson Papers, Archives, The Art Institute of Chicago; receipt of payment dated May 8, 1917 in curatorial file]; on loan to the Art Institute of Chicago from 1917; bequeathed to the Art Institute, 1933.
