Balaam and the Ass

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Balaam and the Ass: Rembrandt

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Art Type: Oil Painting
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Rembrandt Oil Painting - Balaam and the Ass

Keywords: Balaam, Ass

Work Overview: Balaam and the Ass (Balaam's Ass)
Rembrandt
Date: 1626
Style: Baroque
Genre: religious painting
Media: oil, panel
Dimensions: 63 x 46.5 cm
Location: Musée Cognacq-Jay, Paris, France

Balaam and the Ass is a 1626 painting by the Dutch artist Rembrandt, dating from his time in Leiden and now in the Musée Cognacq-Jay in Paris.

It portrays the biblical account of the talking ass debating with diviner Balaam.

One of the earliest works by the young Rembrandt, who in 1626 had just set up shop for himself. This work is probably derivative of a painting by his master Pieter Lastman, be it in a truly new composition.

Balaam was a heathen prophet summoned by the Moabitean King Balak to curse Israel. On his way to Balak his she-ass refuses to walk three times because an angel blocks the road. Balaam does not see the angel and strikes the she-ass. After a third thrashing the god of the Hebrews speaks through the she-ass: What have I done to you? At which Balaam repents.

Like his masater Pieter Lastman, Rembrandt painted angels and visions. One of rembrandt's earliest paintings shows an angel interfering in human life, and it is derived from a similar work by Lastman.

The biblical story (Num. 22:1-35) represented here is the following. The arrival of the Israelites in the Jordan valley alarmed Balak, king of Moab, who sent for Balaam, a foreigner, to pronounce a curse on them. On his journey an angel, invisible to Balaam, barred the way, causing his ass to turn aside. This led to an altercation between the man and his beast in which the latter, like the animals of fable, acquired the gift of speech. Balaam's eyes were then opened and he saw the angel with a drawn sword. The conversion of Balaam by the vision of the angel was regarded as prefiguration of the appearance of Christ to the apostle Thomas.

This is one of the first known paintings by Rembrandt, the 17th century genius of the Dutch school. Its unusual subject is taken from the Old Testament. Balaam was travelling to meet the Hebrews, who were then fleeing Egypt, to curse them. However, an angel appeared twice to his mount, turning it from its course. When the angel blocked the ass' path for a third time, Balaam whipped the animal, which in turn began speaking to him. The prophet, realising the miracle he is witnessing, sees the angel and ultimately decides to bless the Hebrew people three times. This subject illustrates God's love for humanity's salvation – a fundamental principle of the Protestant faith, which had prevailed in the Netherlands since the late 16th century. Rembrandt portrays Balaam's conversion in a refined style, characterised by a painstaking technique and sophisticated colour palette. Even then, he was already placing great emphasis on light, which later became a key element of his mature work, through the dramatic impact of chiaroscuro.

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