Meshack, Shadrack, and Abednego
SEE IT IN PERSON
● On view now — Collection Gallery, Room 21, South Wall
Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia · verified July 2026
Discussion
FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG
This panel painting depicts a story from the Book of Daniel. Three friends of Daniel, called Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego, quickly rose the ranks at the court of Babylon, where King Nebuchadnezzar ruled. After Daniel interpreted a dream that the king had about a golden statue, Nebuchadnezzar decided to build a golden statue for all of his people to worship. Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego were followers of the Jewish religion, which forbids the worship of false idols, so they refused to worship the king's golden statue. In response the king ordered that they be thrown into the furnace, where they were miraculously saved by God. This miracle caused King Nebuchadnezzar to pronounce the Jewish God as the one true deity. This painting shows the moment the three were saved from the furnace and was created for a multipaneled altarpiece.
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