Frans Francken II (Antwerp, 1581–1642) workshop/circle
Belshazzar's Feast
Oil on canvas (98 x 115 cm - Framed 121.5 x 141.5 cm)
Full details of the artwork (click HERE)
The painting, which shows us a lavish banquet set in the hall of a luxurious palace, represents the biblical episode in which the Babylonian king Belshazzar, who lived in the 6th century, had the gold and silver vessels stolen from the Temple of Jerusalem brought in to drink from them with his over a thousand dignitaries, wives and concubines (Bible, chapter 5, Book of Daniel).
Suddenly, in the middle of the feast, a blinding light appeared - here evoked by the rays coming from the large chandelier in the center - and a mysterious hand engraved three incomprehensible words on the wall of the palace: "Mene, Tekel, Parsin" (literally "Number, Weight, Divisions").
The court soothsayers were unable to interpret them, but the prophet Daniel, who was attending the banquet near the King, revealed that those words were God's negative judgment on Belshazzar and foreshadowed the imminent end of his reign (that same night the ruler was killed and the Babylonian kingdom divided between the Medes and Persians).
In particular, Daniel interpreted the individual words as follows: "Mene - God has numbered your kingdom and brought it to an end", "Tekel, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting", "Parsin, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians" (Daniel 5:1-30).
The work, a valuable testimony to the descriptive richness typical of 17th-century Flemish masters, can be attributed in terms of style and compositional choices to the prolific workshop of Frans Francken (Antwerp 1581 - 1642), who loved to resume biblical themes in his works, and in particular the great banquets of history (the wedding of Esther and Ahasuerus, Herod's Banquet, Lazarus' Banquet...), which offered him the opportunity to give space to his strong narrative propensity.
Son of an artist, Frans Francken II is considered the true protagonist of the lineage, the one who transformed the family workshop into a production center known throughout Europe. It should be added that he was surrounded by valid assistants, often his family members, and that his sons continued the business, varying little from the compositions already widely experimented with.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The painting is sold complete with an antique frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and descriptive iconographic sheet.
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