The Destroying Angel and Daemons of Evil Interrupting the Orgies of the Vicious and Intemperate, also known as The Destroying Angel and Daemons Inflicting Divine Vengeance on the Wicked and Intemperate and The Destruction of the Temple of Vice,[

is an oil painting on canvas by English artist William Etty, first exhibited in 1832. Etty had become famous for nude paintings, and acquired a reputation for tastelessness, indecency and a lack of creativity. With The Destroying Angel he hoped to disprove his critics

with an openly moral piece. The painting is 127.8 cm by 101.9 cm (50 in by 40 in) and depicts a classical temple under attack from a destroying angel and a group of daemons. Some of the human occupants are dead or unconscious; others flee in terror or struggle helplessly against the daemons.

When first exhibited in 1832, The Destroying Angel was widely praised for its technical brilliance, but critics were divided on the subject matter. Some praised its vividness and ability to mix fear and beauty without lowering into tastelessness; others criticised its thematic matter as inappropriate, and chastised Etty for

wasting his talents. The painting changed the manner in which art critics viewed the artist; some saw it as indicating previously unseen character depths, others considered it a renunciation of his previous works. In 1854 Henry Payne, who had commissioned the painting, sold it to Sir Joseph Whitworth.