Daniel's Answer to the King

Daniel calls up to the king

In the Book of Daniel, King Darius has Daniel thrown into a den of lions. At dawn the king comes and calls out to ask whether Daniel’s God has saved him. Daniel answers that his God has sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths.

Briton Rivière painted this moment, Daniel’s Answer to the King, in 1890. It belongs to Manchester Art Gallery.

Daniel looks up towards the light

Daniel stands against the wall in a deep red robe, his face lifted towards the opening above. Light falls on him from the morning sky. He is calm and unharmed.

Lions that turn away

The lions crowd across the den, but none attacks. They gaze in the same direction as Daniel, or pace restlessly, as if held back by an unseen power.

In the foreground, a lioness stalks past, its body tense. Rivière, a specialist in animals, painted their muscles and fur with great accuracy.

Questions about Daniel’s Answer to the King

What story does it show?

Daniel 6: Daniel answering King Darius from the lions’ den at dawn.

Where is it?

Manchester Art Gallery.

Is there a related painting?

Yes. Rivière’s earlier Daniel in the Lions’ Den (1872) shows the night before.

When was it painted?

In 1890.

Sources and image credit

• Wikimedia Commons: Daniel’s Answer to the King

Public-domain reproduction of Daniel’s Answer to the King (1890). Detail images are crops of the same image; no reconstruction or upscaling.