Belshazzar's Feast (Martin)

John Martin

1820 · Oil on canvas · Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Size3:2 ratio

Frame

$79Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Belshazzar's Feast (Martin)

The White Horse

Wivenhoe Park, Essex

3 × $79 at 36 × 24 in, unframed = $237 → $213.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Ships worldwide in 3–6 business days after production

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About this work

Artist: John Martin (1789–1854)
Year: 1820
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 80 × 120.7 cm
Collection: Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
Movement: Romanticism

In a colossal pillared hall open to the night sky, the Babylonian king Belshazzar recoils as a disembodied hand writes on the wall; the prophet Daniel, in black, stands at the centre to interpret the words, and crowds of feasting courtiers, wives and concubines turn in horror. Beyond rise the Hanging Gardens and the Tower of Babel under a stormy moon. The subject is from the Book of Daniel. Martin's large painting of it caused a sensation at the British Institution in 1821, where it won a prize and had to be railed off from the crowds; that canvas is in a private collection. This is one of two smaller versions of 1820 made alongside it, signed and dated by Martin, and it is in the Yale Center for British Art. Martin's mezzotint of the subject, published in 1826, was dedicated to George IV.

This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

A colossal pillared hall open to a stormy moon with a hand writing on the wall, a theatrical picture for a dining room, study or den at 24×16 or 36×24 in black. Deep blue, charcoal or ochre; low lamplight suits it.

Style: Romanticism painting
Era: 19th century (1820)
Orientation: Landscape
Mood: grand
Rooms: living room, dining room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. Prints at 18×12, 24×16, 36×24 in — 18×12 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 24×16 above a console or sideboard; 36×24 as the statement piece above a sofa or headboard.

Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; oak lightens it.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Restored in-house from the original painting — cleaned and colour-trued at museum resolution • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 18×12, 24×16, 36×24 in; 18×12 and 24×16 and 36×24 also available framed in black or natural wood • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Produced in 2–4 business days, then shipped from the facility nearest you. Delivery is typically 3–6 business days (US/UK/EU) and 5–12 worldwide. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The image fills the print at the painting's own proportions; nothing is trimmed to fit a frame.

Is Belshazzar's Feast in the public domain?

Yes. John Martin (1789–1854) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by Yale Center for British Art.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; the two larger sizes are also offered framed. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Belshazzar's Feast painted, and in what medium?

Belshazzar's Feast dates from 1820 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 80 × 120.7 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

For a standard three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 inches reads as a single statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pairing. The print's proportions follow the original, so a landscape-format painting is wider than it is tall.

About this design

Belshazzar's Feast (John Martin) — Belshazzar's Feast · John Martin · 1820. This is a fine-art reproduction of a public-domain masterwork, shown whole and uncropped on a gallery ground, printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Three sizes (12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in); the 16×24 and 24×36 are also offered framed. Part of the Madten Fine Art Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

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The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in ~4–8 business days.

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