Balaam and the Ass

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.

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

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[edit]

Balaam's Donkey (Numbers 22:21-34)

Bibliography[edit]

Steven M. Nadler: Rembrandt's Jews, University of Chicago Press, 2003 ISBN 0226567370
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

v t e Rembrandt
Lists of drawings, etchings, paintings, self-portraits
Paintings	The Senses (1624–25) The Stoning of Saint Stephen (1625) Suffer little children to come unto me (1620s) History Painting (1626) Balaam and the Ass (1626) The Baptism of the Eunuch (1626) Bust of a Man Wearing a Gorget and Plumed Beret (1626) Tobit and Anna with the Kid (c. 1626) The Flight into Egypt (1627) The Parable of the Rich Fool (1627) The Artist in his Studio (1628) Samson and Delilah (1629–30) Anna and the Blind Tobit (c. 1630) The Raising of Lazarus (c. 1630–1632) Andromeda Chained to the Rocks (1631) The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1631) Christ with a Staff (1631) Christ on the Cross (1631) Old Man with a Gold Chain (c. 1631) Philosopher in Meditation (1632) The Abduction of Europa (1632) Adoration of the Magi (1632–1633) The Shipbuilder and his Wife (1633) The Storm on the Sea of Galilee (1633) ² A Lady and Gentleman in Black (1633) Raising of the Cross (1633) Descent from the Cross (1633) Diana Bathing with her Nymphs with Actaeon and Callisto (1634) Flora (1634) Artemisia (1634) Pendant portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit (1634) Descent from the Cross (1634) Belshazzar's Feast (1635) Minerva (1635) The Prodigal Son in the Brothel (c. 1635) Raising of the Cross (study) (c. 1635) The Rape of Ganymede (1635) The Entombment of Christ (1635) Samson Threatening His Father-In-Law (1635) The Standard Bearer (1636) Danaë (1636) The Blinding of Samson (1636) Landscape with Arched Bridge (c. 1636-1637) The Preacher Eleazar Swalmius (1637) The Archangel Raphael Leaving Tobias' Family (1637) The Stone Bridge (1637) The Wedding Feast of Samson (1638) Landscape with the Good Samaritan (1638) Still Life with Peacocks (c. 1639) The Girl in a Picture Frame (1641) The Scholar at the Lectern (1641) The Night Watch (1642) Concord of the State (1642) David and Jonathan (1642) Boaz and Ruth (1643) The Woman Taken in Adultery (1644) Joseph's Dream (1645) The Holy Family with Angels (1645) The Mill (1645–1648) Abraham Serving the Three Angels (1646) Susanna and the Elders (1647) Head of Christ (1648) The Kitchen Maid (1651) Descent from the Cross (1650–1652) Saul and David (c. 1652) ¹ Aristotle with a Bust of Homer (1653) A Woman Bathing in a Stream (1654) Bathsheba at Her Bath (1654) The Polish Rider (1655) ¹ Slaughtered Ox (1655) Pallas Athene (c. 1655) The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Deijman (1656) Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph (1656) Courtesan at her Mirror (1657) Saint Bartholomew (1657) Moses Breaking the Tablets of the Law (1659) Ahasuerus and Haman at the Feast of Esther (1660) The Denial of Saint Peter (1660) Titus as a Monk (1660) The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis (1661) Saint Matthew and the Angel (1661) Syndics of the Drapers' Guild (1662) Homer Dictating his Verses (1663) The Jewish Bride (1664) Lucretia (1664) ¹ David and Uriah (c. 1665) Young Woman with a Lapdog (1665) Lucretia (1666) The Return of the Prodigal Son (1662–1669) Landscape with a Castle
Portraits	Portrait of Nicolaes Ruts (1631) Portrait of a Man (1632) Portrait of a Woman (1632) Portrait of Jacob de Gheyn III (1632) Aeltje Pietersdr Uylenburgh (1632) Portrait of a Man Rising from His Chair (1633) Oval Portrait of a Woman (1633) Portrait of Marten Soolmans (1634) Portrait of Oopjen Coppit (1634) Portrait of Petronella Buys (1635) A Polish Nobleman (1637) Portrait of Maria Trip (1639) Portrait of Jan Six (1654) Portrait of Catharina Hooghsaet (1657) Portrait of a Man (1657) Portrait of a Man with Arms Akimbo (1658) Portrait of Dirck van Os (c. 1662)
Self-portraits	Self-Portrait with Dishevelled Hair (1628) Rembrandt Laughing (1628) Self-Portrait (1629) Self-Portrait in a Gorget (c.1629) Portrait of a Young Man with a Golden Chain (1635) (disputed) Self-Portrait Wearing a White Feathered Bonnet (1635) Self-Portrait at the Age of 34 (1640) Self-Portrait (1652) Self-Portrait in a Black Beret and Gold Chain (1654) Self-Portrait (1658) Self-Portrait with Beret and Turned-Up Collar (1659) Self-Portrait (1660) Self-Portrait as the Apostle Paul (1662) Self-Portrait as Zeuxis Laughing (1662) Self-Portrait with Two Circles (1665–1669) Self-Portrait (c. 1669) Self-Portrait at the Age of 63 (1669)
Drawings and prints (including etchings)	Joseph and Potiphar's Wife (1634) The Artist and his Model (1639) The Death of the Virgin (1639) The Mill (1641) The Three Trees (1643) The State Bed (1646) Portrait of Jan Six (1647) Hundred Guilder Print (1647–1649) Conus Marmoreus (1650) Goldweigher's Field (1651) Doctor Fautrieus (1652) Descent from the Cross by Torchlight (1652) The Three Crosses (1653) The Virgin and Child with a Cat (1654) Christ Presented to the People (1655) Mughal drawings
General topics	Dutch Golden Age painting Dutch School (painting) Netherlandish art Netherlandish Baroque art Flemish Baroque art Art of the Dutch Golden Age Rembrandt lighting Tronie Surface tone Old master print Naturalism Utrecht Caravaggism Caravaggisti Chiaroscuro Etching revival
Rembrandt studies	Connoisseurs and scholars Rembrandt Research Project Rembrandt catalogues raisonnés 1908 1935 1968 1986
Related people	Pupils and followers Saskia van Uylenburgh (wife, model) Titus van Rijn (son, model) Geertje Dircx (mistress, model) Hendrickje Stoffels (mistress, model) Jacob Isaacsz. van Swanenburg (teacher) Pieter Lastman (teacher) Jan Lievens (colleague and friend) Hendrick van Uylenburgh (art dealer, patron) Jan Six (art collector, patron) Henry Clay Frick (art collector) Thomas Kaplan (art collector)
Notable collections and exhibitions	Rembrandt House Museum Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Mauritshuis Kupferstichkabinett Berlin British Museum Metropolitan Museum of Art Frick Collection Rembrandt in Southern California (2008 virtual exhibition)
Works about Rembrandt	Bibliography of Rembrandt Cultural depictions of Rembrandt Rembrandt (1936 film) Rembrandt (1940 film) Rembrandt (1942 film) Rembrandt: A Self-Portrait (1954 documentary film) Rembrandt fecit 1669 (1977 film) The Anatomy Lesson (1995 novel) Rembrandt (1999 film) Stealing Rembrandt (2003 film) Nightwatching (2007 film ) Rembrandt's J'Accuse (2008 documentary) I Am Rembrandt's Daughter (2008 novel) The Rembrandt Affair (2010 novel)
Namesakes	Rembrandt, Iowa Rembrandtplein Rembrandtpark Rembrandt (crater) Rembrandt (train) Vereniging Rembrandt (foundation)
¹ Contested ² Stolen in 1990

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