House of Gold
The Writing on the Wall
REMBRANDT-04 · Figurine
The figure
The object
The king is in gold and red, turned toward the wall. The woman is in white, hands together. A small table holds a cup, bread and fruit. The wall reads MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
The feast is reduced to the table. The sentence is the wall. The plaque names the plate, not a banquet.
The base is black marble with gold veins. The plaque is brass. The figure leaves the plate. It does not leave the museum, and it is not a toy.
The plate
Plate 04 of House of Gold. After Belshazzar's Feast. National Gallery, London, NG6350, about 1636–38.
The crowd of the painting is not on the base. Two people and the words are enough.
The painting stays in the museum. This object is the plate, standing.