Daniel in the Lion’s Den Oil on canvas, 1872 by Riviere, Briton (1840-1920)
The British artist Briton Rivière exhibited a variety of paintings at the Royal Academy, where he was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1878. However, Rivière devoted much of his later life to the painting of animals and is particularly acclaimed for his depiction of the Jewish prophet Daniel in a den of lions. In an article for Chums Boys Annual, Rivière wrote: “I paint from dead animals as well as from live ones. I have had the body of a fine lioness in my studio ... I have done a great deal of work in the dissecting rooms at the Zoological Gardens from time to time.” Rivière’s oil painting draws on chapter six of the Book of Daniel, recalling the moment when Daniel was confronted with a pack of hungry lions, yet was saved by an angel of the Hebrew God who closed the lions’ jaws. Daniel had been raised to high office at the royal court under Darius, mentioned in the Book of Daniel as the king of Babylon. The theme of the story relates to the jealousy of non-Jews towards successful Jews and an imperial edict that required the Jews to compromise their religion. It concludes with divine deliverance, along with the king’s acclamation of the greatness of the Hebrew God. From the early Christian period, the survival of Daniel in the den of lions was interpreted as a portent of the resurrection of the soul.
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