A substantial depiction of the Feast of Belshazzar, taken from the Book of Daniel, at which the 'writing on the wall' declaimed the downfall of King Belshazzar and his dynasty.

Frans Francken the Younger was a Flemish artist active in Antwerp during the first half of the 17th century. Born into a prolific dynasty of painters, he trained under his father Frans the Elder to then develop his own distinctive style. His compositions were often small and detailed and depicted religious scenes, as well as historical and mythological themes.

He became successful from a very young age, operating a large workshop which often made copies of well known compositions. He was deacon of the Guild of St Luke in 1616. He became famous for introducing themes such as cabinet paintings (cabinets of curiosities) and gallery paintings. He collaborated with numerous artists during his career, such as Jan Brueghel and Paul Vredeman de Vries.

This episode from the Book of Daniel shows the sumptuous banquet of the Babylonian king Belshazzar, where he is seen conversing while lavishly drinking and eating with his guests on the left foreground of the composition. Servants on the right are seen carrying copious amounts of food and drinks to the banquet. The faces of the guests are lit by candlelight, in contrast with the darkness of the room. The high vaulted ceiling enhances the sense of depth of the room, while ornate drapery is decorating the walls.

The entertainment is suddenly interrupted by a hand appearing at top right, writing the mysterious phrase on the wall: 'MANE THETEL PHARES.' The prophet Daniel was called and explained the writing as a divine judgement, announcing the misfortune to the king, and therefore his kingdom was to be destroyed. Later that night the king is murdered.

Many variants of this painting exist, mostly attributed to the workshop of Frans Francken, but also to Frederik and Gillis van Valckenborch, Frans Francken the Elder, Melchior Bocksberger and others. The present version is large in size compared to other variants, while also extremely detailed, indicating that it was produced by a painter from the Francken workshop for an important commission.

Ref:5822

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