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New on View

Our collection galleries are continually being installed with newly acquired works as well as enduring favorites from the Museum’s collection. Visit us to view these newly installed objects in person.

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Benjamin West, American, 1738–1820; Daniel Interpreting to Belshazzar the Handwriting on the Wall, 1775; oil on canvas; 50 3/4 x 73 1/2 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Funds given by Mr. and Mrs. John Peters MacCarthy and the Edwin and Betty Greenfield Grossman Endowment, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John Alden Sears, by exchange 485:2018

The Jewish prophet Daniel commands this scene from the Old Testament. He gestures to a glowing inscription, at top left, that appeared on the wall during a feast hosted by 6th-century Babylonian king Belshazzar, reclining in blue and gold at right. In an act of sacrilege, Belshazzar had served food from sacred vessels stolen from the Temple of Jerusalem. Divine retribution was swift. Daniel explains that the inscription foretold the fall of Belshazzar’s empire, as he points at the approximation of Hebrew characters painted on the wall. Within hours, Belshazzar was dead. Benjamin West was the first American artist to achieve international fame in the 18th century. Born in Pennsylvania, he became the foremost history painter in England. West exhibited this painting in London just months before the American colonies declared their independence in 1776. As an American at the pinnacle of the British art world, West found himself in a precarious position. He hoped that Daniel’s message—a warning to a prideful king—would encourage viewers to act diplomatically rather than punitively towards their fellow citizens living in America.

On view in Gallery 338

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