The Banquet of Belshazzar
ca. 1590â1620
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of Anonymous Donor
Accession Number
1948-39-3
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Visitors to the Smithsonian American Art Museum are invited to marvel at *The Banquet of Belshazzar*, a captivating print by Dutch artist Jan Harmensz Muller (1571–1628). Created around 1590–1620, this work draws from the dramatic biblical tale in the Book of Daniel, depicting the fateful feast where King Belshazzar witnesses a divine hand writing on the wall, foretelling the fall of Babylon. Muller's engraving captures this moment of hubris and divine judgment with intricate detail, a hallmark of Dutch Mannerism. As a master engraver from Haarlem, Muller was influenced by the Northern Renais...