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''Balaam and the Ass'' is a 1626 painting by the Dutch artist
''Balaam and the Ass'' is a 1626 painting by the Dutch artist Rembrandt
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally cons ...
, dating from his time in Leiden
Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration w ...
and now in the Musée Cognacq-Jay
The Musée Cognacq-Jay ( en, Cognacq-Jay Museum) is a museum located in the Hôtel Donon in the 3rd arrondissement at 8 rue Elzévir, Paris, France. It is open daily except Monday; admission is free. The nearest Metro stations are Saint-Pau ...
in Paris.
The painting portrays the biblical
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of ...
account of the talking ass debating with diviner
Diviner, also referred to as the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment (DLRE), is an infrared radiometer aboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, part of the Lunar Precursor Robotic Program which is studying the Moon. It has been used to create ...
Balaam
Balaam (; , Standard ''Bīlʿam'' Tiberian ''Bīlʿām'') is a diviner in the Torah ( Pentateuch) whose story begins in Chapter 22 of the Book of Numbers (). Ancient references to Balaam consider him a non-Israelite, a prophet, and the son of ...
.
The scene is based on Rembrandt's teacher Pieter Lastman's composition of the same subject from 1622, now in the Israel Museum Collection, Jerusalem. The figure of Balaam and his ass are direct borrowings from Lastman.
References
Balaam's Donkey (Numbers 22:21-34)Bibliography
*Steven M. Nadler: Rembrandt's Jews, University of Chicago Press, 2003 *Jane Turner (ed.): From Rembrandt to Vermeer - 17th-Century Dutch Artists (Grove Dictionary of Art), 2000., New York, p. 268 *http://www.museecognacqjay.paris.fr/en/la-collection/ass-prophet-balaam {{DEFAULTSORT:Balaam and the Ass 1626 paintings Paintings by Rembrandt Donkeys in art Angels in art Paintings in Paris Paintings depicting Hebrew Bible people Book of Numbers