(Siegen 1577–1640 Antwerp)
Daniel in the lion’s den,
oil on canvas, 94.5 x 118.5 cm, unframed

Provenance:
Private European collection

The present painting relates to celebrated compositions by Peter Paul Rubens; the right side of the canvas refers to the same subject by Rubens in the National Gallery of Art, Washington (inv. no. 1965.13.1), the fighting lions on the left side repeat a prototype by Rubens, known through an engraving, conserved in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (Rijksmuseum, inv. no. RP-P-BI-1850).

In order to execute this work of impressive naturalism, in which the lions are represented almost full scale, Rubens dedicated himself to studying the animals in the Royal Menagerie of Brussels: many sketches and studies survived from this process. The work was acquired directly from the artist by Viscount Dorchester, the British ambassador to Flanders and it subsequently belonged in various other English noble collections; the Washington canvas is one of Rubens’ most celebrated works and it was copied and reinterpreted many times by contemporary artists and those of subsequent generations.

In the present work, the artist, takes the group of lions on the right from Rubens’ canvas, but he substantially alters the figure of the prophet who is rendered in contemplation; he is also shown dressed in his red mantle, which in the Washington canvas, is instead abandoned on a nearby rock. The rendering of two lionesses wrestling on the left: the subject of animals fighting, ranging from domestic cats to the most savage beasts, gained considerable diffusion in the Low Countries during the first half of the seventeenth century, as the genre came into demand from collectors. Renowned interpreters of this theme include the painters Paul de Vos and Frans Snyders, artists bound together by familial ties, who were also both specialised in hunting scenes.