Samson fighting with the lion.

Samson fighting with the lion is one of Albrecht Dürer's most accomplished early woodcuts. The fine detail and rich shadows very nearly equal the technical qualities of an engraving. Remarkable gradations of tone were achieved in the lion's mane, all the more amazing if one considers that each tapered black line in the print was formed in the woodblock by chipping away the wood on either side of the intended line. Art historian Erwin Panofsky admired what he called the 'dynamic calligraphy' that the print exudes: the same fluid lines that delineate shapes also control the appearance of light and shadow, a synthesis of the 'optical' and the 'descriptive'. Such expert and self-assured handling is particularly characteristic of Dürer's early woodcuts, dating from the 1490s.

A print engraved about twenty years earlier by Israel van Meckenem served as the source for Dürer's powerful depiction of the Old Testament hero who was 'suddenly seized by the spirit of God' and 'tore the lion to pieces as if it were a kid' (Judges 14:6). The weaponless Samson is here shown on the lion's back, one foot pressed into its neck as he forces open its mouth. 

See: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/24.63.111/

Dr Mark Stocker, Curator Historical International Art                           November 2016