Peter Paul Rubens

Delilah watches tenderly while a Philistine crops Samson's hair as he sleeps on her lap. The candlelit nocturne and coiled composition mark Rubens's first mature statement after returning from Italy, still vibrating with Caravaggio.

A riotous outdoor party Rubens painted after his second marriage — his young wife Hélène Fourment appears three times among the guests. Cupids tug couples together while a fountain with the Three Graces soaks the scene in divinely sanctioned pleasure.