However, Arthur Sulley appears to have handled the sale to Widener. The writing on the wall burns bright at the far left, its characters carefully made illegible in this version. He shows Daniel, in the centre and dressed in black, explaining the meaning of the writing on the wall (off the right edge of the painting) to Belshazzar and his queen, at the left. 4th St and Constitution Ave NW A couple of his guests sat to his right show astonishment, although the direction of their gaze is not actually at the writing on the wall. When he arrived, Belshazzar offered to make him third in rank in the kingdom if he could translate the Hebrew letters; although he refused the honour, Daniel translated. Begin typing your search above and press return to search. The Feast was the first in a series of mythologies, or bacchanals, commissioned by Duke Alfonso d'Este to decorate the camerino d'alabastro (alabaster study) of his castle in Ferrara. According to a history of the Widener collection written by Edith Standen, the Widener curator, Joseph Widener "would not have the Bellini listed as having passed through the Carl Hamilton Collection...because, he said, Mr. Hamilton never completed the payments on it." The cluster of men seen at the right are presumably the magicians and soothsayers who failed to interpret the writing before Daniel was summoned. Probably commissioned by Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara [d. 1534);[1] by inheritance to his son, Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara [d. 1559]; by inheritance to his son, Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara [d. 1597]; by inheritance to his cousin, Cesare d'Este, Duke of Ferrara; confiscated 1598 from the Castello at Ferrara by Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini [d. 1621], Rome, when he was acting as Papal Legate and recorded in his inventory of 1603; by inheritance to his nephew, Cardinal Ippolito Aldobrandini [d. 1638], Rome, and recorded in his inventory of 1626; by inheritance to his niece, Olimpia Aldobrandini Borghese Pamphilj [d. 1681], Rome, and recorded in her pre-1665 inventory and 1682 posthumous inventory; by inheritance to her son, Giovan Battista Pamphilj Aldobrandini [d. 1710], Rome;[2] Aldobrandini heirs, until the line became extinct in 1760;[3] by inheritance 1769 to Paolo Borghese Aldobrandini [d. 1792], Rome; by inheritance to his nephew, Giovan Battista Borghese Aldobrandini [d. 1802], Rome; purchased 1796/1797 by Pietro Camuccini [1761-1833] for the collection of his brother, Vincenzo Camuccini [1771-1844], Rome;[4] presumably by inheritance to Vincenzo's son, Giovanni Battista Camuccini [1819-1904], Rome; sold 1853 with the entire Camuccini collection through Antonio Giacinto Saverio, Count Cabral, Rome,[5] to Algernon Percy, 4th duke of Northumberland [1792-1865], Alnwick Castle, Northumberland; by inheritance to his cousin, George Percy, 5th duke of Northumberland [1778-1867], Alnwick Castle; by inheritance to his son, Algernon George Percy, 6th duke of Northumberland [1810-1899], Alnwick Castle; by inheritance to his son, Henry George Percy, 7th duke of Northumberland 1846-1918], Alnwick Castle; sold 16 June 1916 to (Thomas Agnew & Sons, London) on joint account with (Arthur J. Sulley and Co., London);[6] inheritance from Estate of Peter A.B. The National Gallery of Art serves the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity. Find more prominent pieces of genre painting at Wikiart.org – best visual art database. His tight composition gives no impression of the scale and grandeur of the whole feast, but captures the moment of high drama. The Feast was the first in a series of mythologies, or bacchanals, commissioned by Duke Alfonso d'Este to decorate the camerino d'alabastro (alabaster study) of his castle in Ferrara. In going for the huge, awesome and spectacular, Martin loses the emotional appeal of the story. By far the best-known painting of Belshazzar’s Feast is of course Rembrandt’s, painted around 1635-1638. In the hands of masters like Rembrandt, telling stories in paintings can look deceptively easy: in truth it is not. © 2020 National Gallery of Art   Notices   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy. Find more prominent pieces of history painting at Wikiart.org – best visual art database. Reserve your pass. 1615 Medium: Oil on wood Dimensions: 42 1/2 x 64 1/2 in. The story of Belshazzar, his feast, and ultimate downfall is tucked away in the relative obscurity of the Book of Daniel, in the Old Testament, and to the best of my knowledge has only inspired four significant artists to portray it in paint. 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. daily, Sculpture Garden