A richly dressed man wearing a turban and crown recoils in alarm as a glowing hand inscribes Hebrew letters on a dark wall to his right. The man’s golden robe is heavily embroidered and adorned with pearls and chains, and his left hand is frozen in a dramatic gesture, while his right hand presses down on a golden platter at the banquet table. To his left, a woman in a pearl headdress and red dress drops a goblet, her body twisting away in shock, while another woman with elaborate hair and pearls leans forward, her face turned toward the king.

Behind the king, two older men, one with a beard and the other with long, curly hair and a jeweled band, stare upward in terror at the apparition, their hands raised in alarm. On the table, a golden platter, a knife, and a pile of grapes are illuminated by a strong, directional light that falls from the upper right, casting deep shadows and highlighting the metallic surfaces. The mysterious hand emerges from a cloud of smoke or mist, writing four vertical columns of Hebrew script that glow with an eerie, supernatural light.

The background is dark and undefined, focusing attention on the startled figures and the supernatural event at the center. Rembrandt uses thick, textured brushstrokes to model the luxurious fabrics and jewels, contrasting the shimmering gold and pearls with the deep blacks and browns of the setting. The composition is tightly arranged, with the king’s outstretched arm leading the viewer’s gaze toward the miraculous writing on the wall. Belshazzar’s Feast was painted by Rembrandt in about 1636–1638, during the period known as the Dutch Golden Age of painting.