KMA_H_009 MENE, MENE, TEKEL PARSIN / BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST _ REMBRANDT 1635 / VAIM 2025
11 h
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In spite of the Persian occupation of his country, King Belshazzar of Babylon hosted a lavish banquet for his family and nobles. During this feast, the king used golden vessels taken from his grandfather's Temple of Solomon. These sacred objects, once used in religious ceremonies, were treated by Belshazzar as mere decorations, displayed with utter disregard for their sanctity. The king's costume, reminiscent of the Ottoman Sultan Murad II, was inspired by a 17th-century Dutch engraving.
The narrative unfolds with King Belshazzar witnessing a miraculous event on the wall. As he attempts to rise in astonishment, he accidentally spills his wine goblet, a moment of shock and awe. The focal point of the painting is the mysterious hand writing on the wall behind the king.
The expressions of the guests reflect the tension and drama of the scene, highlighting the gravity of the moment. The inscription on the wall, written by the disembodied hand, reads: "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin."
Belshazzar and his nobles, having defiled the sacred vessels taken from the Jewish temple, further offended the divine by drinking wine from these holy objects and offering prayers to idols. In response, a mysterious hand appeared and inscribed a cryptic message on the palace wall: "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin." Terrified, the king summoned Daniel to interpret the writing. Daniel explained the meaning of the words:
- Mene: God has numbered the days of 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.
That very night, King Belshazzar was slain, and Darius the Mede took the throne (The correct historical figure associated with the conquest of Babylon is 𝐂𝐲𝐫𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭, the founder of the Achaemenid Empire.
However, the biblical Book of Daniel refers to “Darius the Mede” as the ruler who took over Babylon after King Belshazzar’s fall. This has led to some confusion, but most historians agree that Cyrus the Great, a Persian, was the actual conqueror.)
This story, immortalized in the painting "Belshazzar's Feast" by Rembrandt, painted in 1635, is currently exhibited at the National Gallery in London.
ꜰʙ.ᴄᴏᴍ/ᴀʀʏᴀɴʜɪꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ᴏʀɪɢɪɴᴀʟꜱ
Sources: National Gallery, London; Historical accounts of the Babylonian Empire. Kuva vähem
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