The Philistines Place the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple of Dagon 1535 - 1545

"The Philistines Place the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple of Dagon" is an etching by Battista Franco from the 16th century. This scene, depicting the biblical story of the Ark of the Covenant being brought into the temple of the Philistine god Dagon, depicts a moment of chaos as Dagon's statues fall and the Philistines fall to their knees in fear. This artwork, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, demonstrates Franco's talent for depicting both the dramatic and the detailed, with a focus on capturing the emotional intensity of the scene. The etching uses strong contrasts of light and dark to emphasize the impact of the divine power of the Ark.