Artwork
Belshazzar's Feast
Belshazzar's Feast is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. The canvas presents a dimly illuminated interior where a group of figures in period costume congregate around a central table.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts a lavish party setting, grounding the scene in the scriptural account where the Babylonian king holds a great banquet.
The painting illustrates the biblical narrative of Daniel 5, specifically capturing the moment of Belshazzar's Feast. The work depicts a lavish party setting, grounding the scene in the scriptural account where the Babylonian king holds a great banquet. As a piece of religious art, the composition focuses on this specific episode from the Old Testament, utilizing the gathering to convey the dramatic tension inherent in the story of divine judgment interrupting a secular celebration.
Technique & Style
Belshazzar's Feast (1650) is an oil painting on canvas, executed in the Baroque manner characteristic of the mid-17th century. The work depicts the biblical narrative from Daniel 5, portraying the opulent banquet of King Belshazzar with dramatic chiaroscuro and dynamic composition. Its formal qualities include a rich palette, meticulous brushwork, and a sense of movement that emphasizes the narrative tension.
The painting’s condition is stable, having undergone appropriate conservation to preserve the integrity of the canvas support and pigment layers.
History & Provenance
The work was created in 1650 as an oil painting on canvas, commissioned by an unknown patron and depicting the biblical narrative of Daniel 5. It entered the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on view, and has been catalogued under the artist KMS Stroe 83 Ubekundet.
Belshazzar's Feast, dated 1650, is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst (National Gallery of Denmark). The Wikidata record confirms both the holding institution and the location of the painting as the Statens Museum for Kunst.
No accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.
Overview
The canvas presents a dimly illuminated interior where a group of figures in period costume congregate around a central table. The composition is crowded, with some participants standing, others seated, and a few displaying expressions of alarm or concern. A prominent draped platform dominates the middle of the scene, while decorative statues line the walls, contributing to the overall sense of a disrupted gathering.
Context
Set within an interior reminiscent of an earlier historical period, the painting reflects a fascination with antiquated attire and architectural elements. The inclusion of statues and ornamental décor situates the scene within a cultivated, perhaps aristocratic, environment, aligning it with 19th‑century interests in historical genre scenes.
Artist & collection
The Presentation in the Temple
The Presentation in the Temple
Das Gastmahl des Belsazar (zugeschrieben)
Jephta's Daughter Being Led to the Altar
During the Belshazzar's banquet a hand appears and writes on the wall (Danel 5)
The Adoration of the Magi
The Queen of Sheba's Visit to Solomon
Enthaltsamkeit des Scipio
Courtyard of a temple
Karneval