Belshazzar's Feast (Rembrandt)
The feast of Belshazzar is a going back to the Bible story of the Babylonian ruler Belshazzar, which predicts a mysterious writing on the wall, the writing on the wall, his near death and the downfall of his kingdom. The subject has been taken up by different painters, this here be visited Rembrandt paintings painted by 1635th Signed is the painting " Rembrandt f 163 ", the last digit is not readable. The 1.67 × 2.09 meters wide, painted on canvas painting hangs today in the National Gallery in London.
Background
The story of Belshazzar comes from the Old Testament of the Bible ( The feast of Belshazzar, Daniel 5:25). Belshazzar celebrated a lavish party, but he used vessels that had captured his father in the Temple of Jerusalem, when it appeared a ghostly writing on the wall of his palace. He left immediately summon his scribes, but proved unable to decipher the text. Then the set in chains prophet Daniel was brought about. He read: " MENE, MENE, Tekel u - pharsin ", and interpreted this as a doomsday prophecy of the kingdom of Belshazzar. That same night Belshazzar was slain by his servants.
The literal translation of the MENE, MENE, Tekel u - pharsin from Aramaic is unclear. Daniel interpreted the oracle using similar-sounding Aramaic verbs: counted, weighed and divided. Daniel interpreted as follows:
- God has numbered thy kingdom and finished
- You have been weighed and found wanting
- Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.
Historical reference
The pun mene mene Tekel u - pharsin is most likely a rebus and provides a derivation of the Akkadian words Manu šiqlu Parsu represent that are used as labels in the context of weight units. Against this background, it is clear why no one could tell from the audience the meaning of these words, although the terms were part of the vernacular. The author of the Book of Daniel that gave the pun in Aramaic, whose literal translation is not clear today as it was then.
Daniel is attributed by the editors of the book Daniel - the role of a Entu - priestess who performed the omen - interpretation in the Babylonian Empire. The biblical name Belshazzar, son of Nebuchadnezzar is historically refuted because Nabu - na'id the father of Belshazzar was. Nabu - na'id reigned after his return three more years, if only as a vassal king. Belshazzar was up to this point representative of the king Nabu - na'id because this was not at that time in Babylon.
It is not excluded that a historical reference exists and Belshazzar was actually killed by the Marduk priesthood. The last time he is mentioned as a substitute in the 13th year of the reign of Nabu - na'id he represented since the 4th year of reign. After returning from the Babylonierkönigs Tayma Belshazzar's name was not mentioned in other documents. In the Nabu - na'id Chronicles premature death of his son, however, is not indicated. In this context it is also important that the descendants of Babylonierkönigs no subsequent kingdom was prophesied.
The painting
Rembrandt has captured in his paintings the moment in which visitors can see the mysterious handwriting appears on the wall. The frightened faces of those present and the horror of Belshazzar reflected in the presentation. The king looks at you that he can not do anything with the words, but nevertheless has the untrügerische feeling that this could not be good. While it was often omitted in the representations of other painters on presenting the mysterious writing, - nobody really knew exactly how he should be the writing on the wall, Rembrandt has accepted the challenge: he had probably ben Rabbi Menasseh Israel, whom he portrayed in 1636, in the representation of the Hebrew language advice and sat in Hebrew characters, an inscription on the wall, who is from right to left and especially to read from top to bottom.