Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 1606 – 1669 Belshazzar's Feastoil on canvas (168 × 209 cm) — ca. 1635/39 The National Gallery, London Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn biography This work is linked to Daniel 5:5 Rate this work of art: |
|
The Chaldean ruler Belshazzar organizes a feast and uses the silverware his ancestor Nebuchadnezzar stole from the temple in Jerusalem. During the feast a hand appears that writes on the wall. Belshazzar consults his experts to discover the meaning of the writing, but to no avail. Only Daniel can read it – according to Rembrandt and a rabbi he consulted because the words were written vertically. This writing is indeed the writing on the wall – the very next day the sacrilegious king is struck dead. The meaning of the writing is explained at the end of Daniel 5. |
|
Related art |
|
Show page metadata |