Belshazzar's Feast

Date1817-1843

Object PlaceUnited States, North America

MediumOil color on canvas

ClassificationsPaintings

Dimensions192 1/8 × 144 1/8 inches (488 × 366.08 cm)

Credit LineGift of the Allston Trust

Object number55.515

DescriptionThe large rectangular painting was never completed. The scene takes place in a large structure, possibly a palace or a Synagogue. It features a enthroned man (Belshazzar) in the left hand corner flanked by his wife. A standing man (centered) extends an arm in gesture, which is expressed by a look of askance on Belshazzar's wife's face. The lower left hand portion of the painting is consumed by a group of men with mixed facial expressions. In the background a large feast is taking place, a buzz of motion and energies which are contained by the confines of dinning tables. The number of guest is so large that it appears that they are poured into a balcony in the upper left hand corner. The eye is drawn to the most extreme point in the background, located over the left hand shoulder of the gesturing man. The object is a statue of human form that is beneath a hallowed light source, possibly suggesting a spiritual intervention.

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