Daniel in the Lions' Den
Sir Peter Paul Rubens·c. 1614/1616
Historical Context
Daniel in the Lions' Den (c. 1614/1616) depicts the Old Testament prophet who survived a night in the den because of his faith in God. The subject was a favorite of Counter-Reformation art, demonstrating the power of faith to triumph over mortal danger. Rubens was famous for his ability to paint animals with both naturalistic accuracy and dramatic power, and the lions in this work demonstrate his careful study of live specimens in the Archducal menagerie.
Technical Analysis
The composition creates dramatic tension between the vulnerable human figure and the surrounding lions. Rubens renders the animals' musculature and fur with remarkable naturalistic detail, while the lighting creates a cavernous atmosphere appropriate to the underground den.
Look Closer
- ◆Daniel kneels in prayer at the center while lions circle him with expressions ranging from fierce to docile — the miracle of divine protection made visible
- ◆The lions' anatomy is rendered with careful observation, though Rubens likely worked from a combination of live sketches and classical sculpture
- ◆Bones scattered on the den floor remind viewers that other prisoners were not so fortunate — a grim counterpoint to Daniel's salvation
- ◆Light streams from above into the pit, both illuminating the scene and symbolizing God's divine intervention
Condition & Conservation
This large canvas has undergone significant conservation over the centuries. The painting was likely cut down from an even larger format at some point. Cleaning has revealed the dramatic lighting effects that are central to the composition. Some areas of the darker passages have suffered from bitumen degradation.
Provenance
Sir Dudley Carleton, 1st viscount Dorchester [1573-1632], English Ambassador to The Hague, who acquired the painting in 1618 from the artist in an exchange for antique sculpture; presented to Charles I, King of England [1600-1649], between c. 1625 and 1632, where it hung in the Bear Gallery at Whitehall;[1] James Hamilton-Douglas, 1st duke of Hamilton [1606-1649], Hamilton Palace, Scotland, by 1643; by descent in his family to William Alexander Louis Stephen Hamilton-Douglas, 12th duke of Hamilton [1845-1895], Hamilton Palace; (first Hamilton Palace sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 19 June 1882, no. 80); purchased by Duncan for Christopher Beckett Denison; (his sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 13 June 1885, no. 925); purchased by Jamieson for the 12th duke of Hamilton; by inheritance to his kinsman, Alfred Douglas Hamilton-Douglas, 13th duke of Hamilton [1862-1940], Hamilton Palace; (second Hamilton Palace sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 6-7 November 1919, 1st day, no. 57); purchased by Kearley for Weetman Dickinson Pearson, 1st viscount Cowdray [1856-1927], Cowdray Park, Midhurst, Sussex; by inheritance to his son, Weetman Harold Miller Pearson, 2nd viscount Cowdray [1882-1933], Cowdray Park; by inheritance to his son, Weetman John Churchill Pearson, 3rd viscount Cowdray [1910-1995], Cowdray Park; (sale, Bonhams, London, 1 August 1963, no. 25, listed as by Jordaens and De Vos by Bonhams' cataloguer, Mr. Lawson); withdrawn and sold by private treaty before the auction to (Julius H. Weitzner [1896-1986], New York); (M. Knoedler & Co., New York); sold 13 December 1965 to NGA. [1] See Oliver Millar, _The Tudor, Stuart and Early Georgian Pictures in the Collection of Her Majesty the Queen_, London, 1963: 16. According to the Van der Doort inventory of circa 1639 (Oliver Millar, ed., _Abraham van der Doort's Catalogue of the Collections of Charles I_ [The Walpole Society 37], Glasgow, 1960:, 4), the picture was given "by the deceased Lord Dorchester" (Sir Dudley Carleton died on 5 February 1632). The painting is not mentioned in an inventory made of Prince Charles' paintings collection around 1623/1624 (see Claude Phillips, _The Picture Gallery of Charles I_, London, 1896: 24).
