Guido Reni the man was notoriously pious and eccentric. "The fear of God was always the first advice that Reni gave his pupils," his biographer wrote. Reni disliked and feared women, barring them from his house even as servants; even so, he was devoted to his mother and renowned for his soulful Madonnas and Magdalenes.

After Lodovico Carracci's death in 1619, Reni's large studio dominated the Bolognese school, and his fame spread throughout Europe. Giovanni Lanfranco and Antonio Carracci were among his assistants.

The Triumph of Samson

The Triumph of Samson was created from 1611 to 1612. The masterpiece is currently displayed in the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Bologna, Italy. I have crafted reproductions of this painting - click here to buy one for your home.