The Ark of the Lord in the Temple of Dagon
1401 to 1500
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 27.3 × 41.8 cm (10 3/4 × 16 7/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Andrew W. Mellon Fund
Accession Number
1977.10.1
Art Historical Context
Battista Franco’s engraving “The Ark of the Lord in the Temple of Dagon” brings to life a vivid Old Testament episode in which the captured Ark of the Covenant topples the statue of the Philistine god Dagon. Created sometime between 1401 and 1500, the print reflects the Renaissance interest in biblical narratives that carried moral devotional lessons for contemporary audiences. As an engraving, the work demonstrates the medium’s power to spread complex imagery widely through precise, repeatable lines. At roughly 27 by 42 centimeters, Franco’s composition carefully balances architectural detai...
About the Artist
Battista Franco · 1510–1561
Battista Franco, known as il Semolei, was born in Venice around 1510, though his career unfolded largely in Rome and at the courts of central and northern Italy. He came to Rome in his twenties and immediately fell under two powerful spells: the inexhaustible riches of classical antiquity and the overwhelming presence of Michelangelo. Franco spent years making drawings after ancient sculptures and...