Susanna and the Elders stone relief c1520

Sixteenth-century stone relief showing the Apocryphal story of Susanna and the Elders which was discovered buried in the Walled Garden of Lydiard House during the 1940s. The stone is believed to have been part of a frieze within the House prior to the remodelling of the building in the mid-eighteenth century. Paint investigation undertaken during conservation by Wiltshire Conservation Laboratories in the 1990s revealed traces of paint and gilding.

The story of Susanna and the Elders features in the Book of Daniel. Susanna, a young Hebrew wife, was bathing alone in her garden. Two older men spied on her and attempted to seduce her. Susanna was arrested and sentenced to death but the prophet Daniel saved her life. In the Lydiard stone relief, she is shown bathing in a pool with an elaborate fountain. The design is likely to be based on a print by the Dutch artist Jacob Cornelisz.

See Items of Interest Notes on the Susanna and the Elders Stone Relief, 1993