Netherlands, 16th century / 1583
Balaam and the Ass
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Balaam and the Ass as drawing (Netherlands, 16th century · 1583).
This work is mounted on panel, suggesting that it was once inlaid into a piece of furniture or wainscotting in a wealthy 16th-century home.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this drawing as Gouache heightened with gold on vellum laid down on panel and credits Hans Bol (Flemish, 1534–1593).
The museum's collection notes: While this small miniature, made with watercolor on parchment, depicts a scene from the Old Testament in the left foreground, its primary subject is the expansive rural scene, landscape, and distant hillside city beyond. Hans Bol combined realistic city views, based on his onsite observation, with imaginary scenes and narratives, appealing to his late-16th-century urban Netherlandish audience. The story of the Balaam and the Ass was associated with greed in the period. The miniature was likely paired with other scenes highlighting contemporary moral issues to be displayed together in a domestic setting.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtBalaam and the AssOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.