Jacob Willemsz de Wet (1610 - after 1675) The Three Hebrews in the Furnace Oak panel with parquet floor 60 x 85 cm Provenance : Sotheby's New York, 19 March 1981, n°164. Sotheby "s New York, 7 April 1989, n°142 Galerie Marcus in 1990. Our painting illustrates the story of the three Hebrews in the furnace (Daniel 3, verses 1-30), Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, three Jews who had been given stewardship of the province of Babylon. Following their refusal to worship a golden statue that had been erected by Nebuchadnezzar (seen in the centre of the composition), the Babylonian king orders that the young men be bound and thrown into a furnace, in the background on the left. They emerge unharmed thanks to the intervention of God, who saves them. They are also considered Christian saints and celebrated on 17 December.