Ranger in the Lions’ Den (after Rubens) reimagines Peter Paul Rubens’s dramatic interpretation of the biblical story of Daniel in the Lions’ Den. In Rubens’s original painting, Daniel, a loyal servant of the king, is surrounded by hungry lions within the darkness of the cave. Having been condemned to face them, he turns to prayer and asks for his own life to be spared, and his faith is ultimately rewarded.

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Lees closely studies Rubens’s composition, paying homage to the extraordinary artistry and theatrical intensity of the Old Master while introducing an entirely new narrative. In place of Daniel, the central figure becomes an African ranger, whose presence shifts the focus from human survival to the protection of the lions themselves. Rather than praying for his own life, the ranger pleads for the lives of the animals surrounding him.

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This reversal creates an unsettling irony. The lions may appear to be the immediate threat within the cave, yet the true danger facing them lies beyond it—in the actions of humanity. The ranger therefore becomes both protector and witness, representing those who dedicate their lives to safeguarding endangered wildlife.

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Lees replaces the lions depicted by Rubens with West African lions, drawing attention to the changing fortunes of the species and the precarious position of remaining populations in the region. The lions in Rubens’s original painting belonged to a population that is now extinct, while the West African lion depicted here remains vunerable, with only a small surviving population. The historical distance between the two paintings therefore becomes part of the narrative, connecting an Old Master image of the past with the precarious future of a species today.

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The ranger’s altered appearance further establishes the painting within an Asian setting, allowing Lees to adapt Rubens’s characters and narrative while retaining the essence of his original composition. By recreating the dramatic lighting, movement and theatrical arrangement of the Old Master’s work, she places her own subject within the visual language of Rubens while deliberately changing its meaning.

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Ranger in the Lions’ Den (after Rubens) becomes a dialogue between past and present, faith and responsibility, and humanity and the natural world. Where Rubens portrayed a man seeking divine protection from the animals around him, Lees reverses the relationship: a human being enters the lions’ world and asks for their protection. The painting ultimately poses a poignant question—who will protect the lions when their greatest threat is no longer the den, but humanity itself?

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