POUSSIN, Nicolas - BARON Jean, called the Tolosan. The Plague of the Philistines.
18th century
Copper engraving. 375x493 mm. Trimmed within the platemark, intact image. Defects.
Print depicting the plague inflicted by God on the Philistines for having stolen the Ark of the Covenant: in a square in front of a temple, a group of men, women and children are agitated in front of the corpses of plague victims. Some hold their noses because of the stench emanating from the bodies, others in the background crowd in front of the temple where the stolen Ark of the Covenant is placed. Rats cross the streets cluttered with corpses.