Balthazar's Feast

1393
Ink on paper
Basel, Universitätsbibliothek, A II 5, 88v

This illustrates the story in Daniel 5. King Balthazar orders a feast featuring the vessels taken from the Jerusalem Temple. During the feast a mysterious hand writes on the wall the words mane thecel phares, which Daniel interprets to mean "God hath numbered thy kingdom, and hath finished it," "thou art weighed in the balance, and art found wanting," and "thy kingdom is divided, and is given to the Medes and Persians."

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Source: e-Codices – Virtual Manuscript Library of Switzerland