Nicola di Maestro Antonio d'Ancona, Scenes from the Life of King Nebuchadnezzar
Circa 1490
Tempera on wood
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 08.133
Three images on the frontal of a
cassone
a large Italian chest having a hinged lid and often decorated with carving or painting
illustrate the story told in Daniel 4. On the left, Nebuchadnezzar sits on his throne with the crown, orb, and sceptre of this authority, "content and prosperous." He orders the wise men of Babylon to interpret a dream he has had of a great tree cut down to a stump. Daniel does so, explaining that it means he will be cast out of Babylon, go mad, and have grass as his food.
In the center the king is indeed cast out of the city, wearing the same gray beard and red tunic that he had worn on the throne. On the right, still in the red tunic, he is alone in the wilderness eating grass.
View this image in full resolution.
Read more about images of Daniel.
Photographed at the museum by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.