Rembrandt, Belshazzar's Feast

ca 1636-38

Rembrandt, Belshazzar's Feast

ca 1636-38

Paintings sorted by     Historical period   |   Painter   |  Subject matter   |  Pigments used

\

Belshazzar’s cloak
Lead-tin yellow

\

Highlights of the red dress
Lead-tin-yellow, vermilion, and orange-brown lakes. Small amounts of yellow ochre and smalt

\

Shadows of the red dress
Purplish-red lake over a layer of bone black

\

Green undergarment
Azurite, yellow ochre or yellow lake, bone black, and lead white

\

The green jewel in Belshazzar’s cape
A mixture of azurite and yellow ochres or yellow lakes

\

Shadow in Belshazzar’s outstretched hand
Yellow ochre, lead white, yellow lake, and vermilion

\

Blue spots in the feathers
Smalt, chalk, and lead white

\

Lettering on the wall
Lead-tin yellow

\

Flesh paint of Belshazzar’s neck
A combination of ochres, yellow lake, lead white, and small amounts of vermilion

Pigment analysis: Hover the mouse over the white points to learn about the pigments used at this spot.
Bomford, D.  et al., Art in the making: Rembrandt, New edition, Yale University Press, 2006, pp. 110-117.

Overview

Medium: Oil
Support: Canvas
Size: 167.6 x 209.2 cm

Art period: Baroque
National Gallery London,  NG 6350
Painting in the Rembrandt Database

General characterization of the condition of this painting by the scientists of the Rembrandt Research Foundation (1):

“An authentic painting, well preserved though slightly reduced at an oblique angle, reliably signed and probably datable in 1635 or thereabout.

(1) Bruyn, J. et al., Belshazzar’s Feast, in A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings, Stichting Foundation Rembrandt Research Project Volume 3, 1989, pp 124-133

Rembrandt-Belshazzar's feast

Overview

Medium: Oil
Support: Canvas
Size: 167.6 x 209.2 cm

Art period: Baroque
National Gallery London,  NG 6350
Painting in the Rembrandt Database

General characterization of the condition of this painting by the scientists of the Rembrandt Research Foundation (1):

“An authentic painting, well preserved though slightly reduced at an oblique angle, reliably signed and probably datable in 1635 or thereabout.

(1) Bruyn, J. et al., Belshazzar’s Feast, in A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings, Stichting Foundation Rembrandt Research Project Volume 3, 1989, pp 124-133

The Story of Belshazzar

The story has its origin in the Old Testament in the Book of Daniel. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar looted the Temple in Jerusalem and brought the sacred vessels to Babylon. His son Belshazzar used theses sacred vessels for a great feast.

 

 3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.

During the feast, the hand of God appears and writes an inscription on the wall in glowing letters.

Belshazzar and his minions were not able to decipher the writing and called for Daniel, who finally interpreted the inscription. In the Book of Daniel, chapter 5 it says:

25 And this is the writing that was written, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.
26 This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
27 Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
28 Peres; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

In the night the prophecy was fulfilled and Belshazzar was slain.

The reason why Belshazzar’s priests were unable to decipher the writing is not clear (1). The original Bible text does not contain an explanation and it has been subject to long rabbinical discussions. The inscription is in Aramaic (and not in Hebrew as stated on the National Gallery’s website) but the text is not written from right to left as was usual in Aramaic and in Hebrew but it is to be read in vertical columns. It is questionable, though, if this simple measure would render the inscription undecipherable to Belshazzar’s priests and soothsayers.

Rembrandt most probably obtained the text from the Jewish scholar, kabbalist, and writer Menasseh ben Israel. He made a slight mistake in misrepresenting the last letter (bottom left) in the inscription (2).

 

References

(1) Kahn, David (1996). The Codebreakers. The Comprehensive History of Secret Communication from Ancient Times to the Internet. Simon and Schuster. pp. 80–81.

(2) Littman, R.J. An Error in the Menetekel Inscription in Rembrandt’s Belshazzar’s Feast in the National Gallery in London, Oud Holland 01/1993; 107(3):296-297. DOI: 10.1163/187501793X00036

(3) Bomford, D.  et al., Art in the making: Rembrandt, New edition, Yale University Press, 2006, pp.110-117.

(4Belshazzar’s Feast And The Fall Of Babylon, website Bible.org

The Story in The Old Testament

Old Testament, Book of Daniel, Chapter  5

(King James Version, © Biblegateway.com)

 

1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.

2 Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.

3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.

4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

6 Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.

7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.

8 Then came in all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.

9 Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.

10 Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:

11 There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;

12 Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.

13 Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?

14 I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.

15 And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing:

16 And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.

17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

18 O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:

19 And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.

20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:

21 And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.

22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;

23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.

25 And this is the writing that was written, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.

26 This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.

27 Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

28 Peres; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

29 Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.

31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.

Related Paintings to Rembrandt, Belshazzar's Feast

Andrea Celesti, Belshazzar’s Feast, 1705

Oil on canvas, 157 x 203 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Andrea-Celesti-Feast-of-Belshazzar

 

John Martin, Belshazzar’s Feast, 1820

Oil on canvas, 159 x 250 cm
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

John-Martin-Belshazzar's-Feast

Resources

See the collection of online and offline resources such as books, articles, videos, and websites on Rembrandt in the section ‘Resources on Painters

PowerPoint Presentations

Painting in Context: Rembrandt, Belshazzar's Feast

Rembrandt-Belshazzar's-Feast-PowerPoint-Presentation 

 

A richly illustrated presentation on the painting technique and pigments employed by Rembrandt in his Belshazzar’s Feast specially crafted for Art Education. (Number of slides = 12)

 

  • Each presentation starts with the basic information on the painting such as its location in a museum or a gallery, the map of the location of the scene if applicable, and other pertinent details such as the history of the painting and the story depicted by the painter.
  • Next, you find slides describing the painting technique of the artist and, if applicable, information on the scientific investigation of the artwork.
  • The majority of the slides shows a detailed pigment analysis of the painting containing detailed views of different areas of the artwork and the pigments employed by the painter.

 

Rembrandt-Belshazzar's-Feast-PowerPoint-presentation-story

Slides depicting the story of the King Belshazzar in the Old Testament

 

Rembrandt-Belshazzar's-Feast-PowerPoint-presentation-color 

Rembrandt’s painting technique and his exceptional handling of color in this painting are shown in the next slides.

 

Rembrandt-Belshazzar's-Feast-PowerPoint-presentation-pigments 

The majority of the slides show the pigments employed by the artist in various parts of the paintings. The slides are organized according to the color of the pigments.

Painter in Context: Rembrandt

Painters-in-context-Rembrandt-title

 

A richly illustrated presentation on the painting technique and pigments employed by Hieronymus Bosch specially crafted for Art Education. (Number of Slides = 20)

 

  • Each presentation starts with the basic resources on the painter such as his biography, main catalogs of his paintings, and a bibliography.
  • Next, you find slides describing the painting technique of the artist and the pigments he usually employed in his work.
  • The majority of the slides show examples of paintings containing the specific pigments.

 

Painters-in-context-Rembrandt-paintings Slides showing the basic resources on the paintings of the Dutch Baroque painter Rembrandt van Rijn. 

 

Painters-in-context-Rembrandt-painting-technique The painting technique and all pigments employed by Bosch are shown in the next slides.

Painters-in-context-Rembrandt-pigments

The majority of the slides show important examples of paintings where Rembrandt employed specific pigments. The slides are organized according to the color of the pigments.

Videos

Video: 'El festín de Baltasar, de Rembrandt' by Artehistoria (Spanish)

Video: 'Jean Sibelius, Belshazzar’s Feast, Op.51, Suite for orchestra, 1906' by Hugo Andore

Publications and Websites

Publications

(1) Bomford, D.  et al., Art in the making: Rembrandt, New edition, Yale University Press, 2006, pp. 110-117.

(2) Bruyn, J. et al., Belshazzar’s Feast, in A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings,
Stichting Foundation Rembrandt Research Project Volume 3, 1989, pp. 124-133.

(3) Kauffmann, H., ‘Rembrandts “Belsazar”’, Festschrift Wolfgang Braunfels, Tübingen 1977, pp. 167–176, esp. 171.

(4) Whidden, M. Samuel Colman: Belshazzar’s Feast – A Painting in Its Context. Oldham Education & Leisure Services, 1981.

Websites