This refined mid-18th-century Italian architectural capriccio depicts a solitary figure kneeling among lions within a monumental ruin. It's a vision of steadfast faith painted with quiet intellect. 

The scene recalls the biblical story of Daniel, the Hebrew exile who refused to renounce his God under the rule of King Darius. Condemned to death for his faith, he was cast into a den of lions - yet, miraculously, the beasts did not harm him. At dawn, when the king came in sorrow to see what remained, he found Daniel alive and at peace, his courage unbroken.

Here, the artist translates that story into an architectural allegory of endurance. The vast arches and stairs rise like emblems of empire - yet Daniel kneels at their heart, a small, luminous presence amid stone and shadow. The lions, rather subdued and contemplative, appear tamed by something unseen. Light falls from above, in recognition.

Painted in tempera on canvas, the surface has the matte luminosity of fresco - a hallmark of Central Italian decorative practice, especially among the Bolognese and Florentine painters trained in perspective and illusion. The measured draughtsmanship and restrained palette speak of academic discipline.

It's a painting of balance - between reason and belief, stone and spirit, danger and peace. And in its tempera surface, dry and luminous as a breath upon plaster, we feel the touch of the artist’s hand.

Held in its original 18th-century frame with a simple gilt sight edge and an outer border finished in muted green with a narrow gilt inner band.

Medium: Tempera on canvas
Overall size: 60” x 37½” / 153cm x 95cm
Year of creation: c. 1750
Provenance: Private collection, Italy.
Condition: Cleaned. Untampered with. Slightly undulant. Signs of historic worm. Frame with various marks and showing its age.
Our reference: BRV2211