Belshazzar's Feast

John Martin

National Gallery of Art

This print shows an enormous architectural space with a large banquet taking place. It is set in a grand, open-air hall with stone columns, archways, and decorative surfaces. At the bottom of the image, closest to us, a long table is laid with golden plates and bowls. In front of it and to the left, several people in black robes crouch on the ground, holding golden staffs and looking up to the left. Behind the table, a man in black robes stands tall, with one hand pointed to the upper left and one extended outward. A crowd of people gather around him, some bowing down on the ground and others standing, huddled close together. More people are gathered to the right. All of these people have light skin. In the background is a wide, central area surrounded by tall columns. Many people are in this space, and they appear to be bowing towards a large statue in the center of a man wrapped in a snake. The statue is surrounded by blue smoke and orange flames. More hallways with statues and kneeling figures continue into the distance. Above this open-air hall, a tall domed structure and tiered structure rise up against the dark, cloudy night. Bright, blinding light shines in from the left, illuminating the scene, cast by characters written on the wall in white.