Amuze Art Lecture #6: Daniel in the Lions' Den by Peter Paul Rubens

For the sixth Amuze Art Lecture, a masterpiece by Peter Paul Rubens is discussed in two minutes. Daniel in the Lions’ Den is one of the highlights of the National Gallery of Art. It shows Daniel praying in the center of the lions’ den surrounded by nine Barbary lions (a type that is now extinct in the wild).

It is based on the Biblical story in the Book of Daniel, chapter 6. In short, Daniel is a high-level administrator for the Persian king Darius. He is doing so well that Darius wants to promote Daniel to be in charge of the full kingdom. The other administrators hatch a plan to trap Daniel. They convince Darius to issue a decree that in the next 30 days no one could pray to any god or human other than king Darius. As Daniel continues to pray to his God, he is sentenced to be thrown into the lions' den which nobody could survive. But when Darius checks the lions’ den the next morning, he finds Daniel still alive without any scratch.

Rubens studied these lions in great detail before painting them, resulting in an impressive and magnificent painting. The audio for this video is part of the highlights tour of the National Gallery of Art in the Amuze app.

If you are interested in the other videos in the Amuze Art Lecture series, check out our YouTube Channel or select one of the following videos directly.

• #5 The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David
• #4: Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci
• #3 Irises by Vincent van Gogh
• #2 Rokeby Venus by Diego Velázquez
• #1 Portrait of a Girl Dressed in Blue by Johannes Verspronck

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Cheers, Eelco