The Philistines Place the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple of Dagon
ca. 1540
Medium
Etching and engraving; first state
Dimensions
sheet: 10 1/2 x 16 1/4 in. (26.7 x 41.2 cm) trimmed to platemark
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.95.27
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created around 1540 by the Italian artist Battista Franco, this etching and engraving captures a dramatic moment from the Old Testament. It illustrates the Philistines placing the captured Ark of the Covenant inside the temple of their god Dagon, only for the idol to miraculously topple before the sacred Hebrew object. Franco, active during the Mannerist period and influenced by Michelangelo, specialized in expressive figure drawing and complex narrative scenes that appealed to educated collectors of the Renaissance. The work’s medium—etching combined with engraving—allowed Franco to achieve ...
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...