Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Daniel

1655
Marble
Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo

The lion in the background licks Daniel's foot, a common detail in legends of saints exposed to wild beasts. See my pages on St. Euphemia and Saints Rufina and Justa.

Daniel's attitude of prayer references his words in the lion's den, "Thou hast remembered me, O God, and thou hast not forsaken them that love thee" (Vulgate Daniel 14:37).

Read more about images of Daniel.

• Home Page
• The Prophet Daniel
• This Page

Photographed at the basilica by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.