Daniel in the Lions' Den (Rubens)

Daniel in the Lions' Den is a painting from around 1615 by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens that is displayed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.Over the centuries, the painting changed hands multiple times, eventually becoming part of the Hamilton Palace collection before being sold to the National Gallery of Art in 1965.Rubens' time in Italy profoundly influenced his artistic style, evident in the classical elements and lifelike representations in Daniel in the Lions' Den.The figure of Daniel, influenced by classical sculptures and Renaissance art, is depicted as a young man, even though the biblical account suggests he was much older.[1] He was converted to Catholicism shortly before his father's death on 1587 and raised from the age of 10 as a Catholic, due to the threat from Magistrate of Cologne to expel every Protestant from the city.During this time, he was deeply influenced by classical sculptures by Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Correggio, Tintoretto, Caravaggio, and Annibale Carracci.[7] Rachel Aviva Pollack, a researcher from the University of Maryland, suggests that this painting is a political allegory representing the situation during the Twelve Years' Truce, due to the inclusion of ten lions, the same number of provinces within the Southern Netherlands.Despite his exile, Daniel rose to prominence in the Babylonian court, serving the king and his successors with wisdom and integrity, all while staying faithful to the Yahweh until the Persian conquest led by Cyrus the Great.Carleton decided to purchase The Wolf and Fox Hunt with help from Matthew, Gage and the English diplomat William Trumbull, but negotiations fell through when Rubens instead sold the painting to the Duke of Aarschot.The painting was displayed in the Bear Gallery at the Palace of Whitehall from around 1628 to 1641, in the formal reception area leading to Charles' private chambers, as a symbol of his royal authority.Concerned by its size and by the frame, they took it to Bonhams, who misattributed it as a work by Paul de Vos and Jacob Jordaens {the "stumpy legs" in the Daniel figure was thought to be characteristic of the artists' style).Rubens had access to exotic animals due to his role as a court painter for Albert VII, Archduke of Austria and Isabella Clara Eugenia in Brussels.
The Dying Alexander , a classical sculpture likely used as inspiration for the figure of Daniel
Painting of Jerome that became inspiration for the seated position, Cornelis Cort , Girolomo Muziano, Saint Jerome Penitent in the Wilderness (undated), Tartu University Library
oil paintNational Gallery of ArtFlemishPeter Paul RubensDanielDaniel in the lions' denJewishprayingDudley Carleton, 1st Viscount DorchesterCharles I of EnglandPalace of WhitehallHamilton Palaceclassical sculpturesRenaissance artclassical sculptureSiegenNassauJan RubensMaria PypelincksCatholicismCologneProtestantAntwerpTwelve Years' TruceDuke of MantuaRaphaelLeonardo da VinciMichelangeloCorreggioTintorettoCaravaggioAnnibale CarracciGirolamo MuzianoUniversity of MarylandallegorySouthern NetherlandsBook of DanielJerusalemNebuchadnezzar IIBabylonianYahwehPersianCyrus the GreatDarius the MedeCornelis CortTartu University LibraryDudley Carleton 1st Viscount DorchesterJames IThe Haguefine artVeniceTobie MatthewGeorge GageThe Wolf and Fox HuntWilliam TrumbullDuke of AarschotJan Brueghel the ElderPrometheus BoundguilderstapestriesSecretary of StateMinerva Protecting Peace from MarsJames Hamilton, 1st Duke of HamiltonScotlandBishops' WarsChristie, Manson & WoodsChristopher Beckett DenisonMember of ParliamentConservative PartyEastern West Riding of YorkshireWilliam Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of HamiltonAlfred Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of HamiltonWeetman Pearson, 1st Viscount CowdrayWeetman Harold Miller Pearson, 2nd viscount CowdrayJohn Pearson, 3rd Viscount CowdrayBonhamsPaul de VosJacob Jordaensart dealerM. 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