10-Antique Master Prints-DANIEL-LIONS DEN-COMPLETE SERIES-Galle-Heemskerck-1565

‘PLATE 1: DANIEL REGI SUO CYRO DECLARAT SE SIMULACHRA MANUFACTA NON COLERE.’

– Plate 1: Daniel stands at left gesturing toward the temple, refusing to worship the idol Baal. King Cyrus sits enthroned at center in elaborate robes. Priests and courtiers flank the throne, and jesters perform at its foot. Plate 2: King Cyrus gestures toward the idol Baal, surrounded by offerings and servants placing food and drink. Daniel stands calmly at right, skeptical. In the background is the temple interior with idol and throne. Plate 3: Daniel spreads ashes across the temple floor before the idol Bel, while King Cyrus and his attendants prepare to seal the door. In the temple, offerings are laid before the statue. A theatrical scene of deception with priests and guards nearby. Plate 4: A large temple scene in which the priests of Baal, together with their wives and children, secretly consume food offerings left at the feet of the idol. A trapdoor is visible in the floor, indicating their hidden access. Plate 5: Daniel reveals to King Cyrus the footprints left in the ashes, exposing the deceit of the priests of Bel who secretly entered the temple to consume the offerings. Soldiers, priests, and onlookers gather around. Plate 6: King Cyrus, angered by the deceit of Bel’s priests, orders their execution. Daniel oversees the destruction of Bel’s idol and temple by soldiers and workers. Plate 7: Daniel presents King Cyrus with a dragon, claiming it is not a god. In a public square, Cyrus questions Daniel while the dragon crouches between them, surrounded by onlookers. Plate 8: Daniel sits unharmed among lions in a cavern after slaying the dragon. Above, an angel transports Habakkuk by the hair, bringing food to sustain Daniel. Plate 9: Daniel is shown being hoisted from the lions’ den by ropes, as the beasts lie docile around him. King Cyrus and onlookers appear at the edge of the pit, gesturing in astonishment. Plate 10: The accusers of Daniel are cast into the lions’ den and mauled by the beasts. King Cyrus stands at the left watching as bodies tumble down into the cave, surrounded by roaring lions.