Belshazzar's Feast
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Belshazzar's Feast refers to an event described in the Book of Daniel, in which the Babylonian king Belshazzar profanes the sacred vessels of the enslaved Jews, and, as prophesized by the writing on the wall, is slain, leading to their freedom.
There are many depictions of Belshazzar's Feast in the arts. These include, in chronological order:
- 1635: The painting Belshazzar's Feast by Rembrandt
- 1745: The oratorio Belshazzar by George Frideric Handel
- 1815: The poem Vision of Belshazzar by Lord Byron in his Hebrew Melodies
- 1821: The painting Belshazzar's Feast by the English artist John Martin
- 1820s: The poem Belsazar by Heinrich Heine
- 1817-1843: The painting Belshazzar's Feast by the American artist Washington Allston
- 1906: The orchestral suite Belshazzar's Feast by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius
- 1931: The choral work Belshazzar's Feast by the English composer William Walton
- 1967: A song by Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two (also covered but unreleased by Bob Dylan & The Band during the 1967 Basement Tapes sessions)
- 1983-1984: Belshazzar's Feast, the Writing on Your Wall, installation artwork by artist Susan Hiller[1]