Description

17th CENTURY ITALIAN OLD MASTER OIL ON CANVAS “ The Feast of Belshazzar " A superb large 17th century Italian old master oil on canvas depicting the Feast of Belshazaar shwoing what is known to day as “ the writing on the wall ” . Babylonian ruler Belshazzar, a rich and debauched king, gave a banquet to his court. During the drunken party, the sacred vessels from the Jewish temple, stolen by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC, were used in a blasphemous manner. At the height of the festivities, a man’s hand was seen writing on the wall the mysterious words “mene mene tekel upharsin” . The king was terrified. But no one could understand what the words meant. All attempts at interpretation by Belshazzar’s wise men failed until the prophet Daniel was called in. Daniel was one of the captives from Judah brought to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel was given wisdom from God to read and translate the words, which meant “numbered, numbered, weighed, divided.” Daniel told the king, “Here is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians” The work is on canvas and has not been relined and is inscribed in Italian verso but we do not know what the words relate to. The painting would benefot froma clean and varnish. There is stable age realted craquelure across the surface Title: “The Feast of Belshazzar" Medium: Oil on original canvas Provenance: Private Italian collection Size: c. 25 x 39.5 inches unframed Condition: Unlined original canvas - needs cleaning and revarnishing _gsrx_vers_1680 (GS 9.8.3 (1680))