El festín de Baltasar
between 1817 and 1843
Washington Allston spent over twenty-five years obsessing over this dramatic biblical scene, yet he died before ever finishing it! The terrified King Belshazzar clutches his throne in golden robes while the prophet Daniel dramatically points toward the mysterious writing on the wall, signaling the king's impending doom. As a quintessential example of American Romanticism, the moody shadows and intense emotion capture a moment of pure panic, leaving art historians forever wondering what the final masterpiece would have looked like.
Location: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
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