Artwork
Coastal Landscape with Balaam and the Ass
Coastal Landscape with Balaam and the Ass is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Bartholomeus Breenbergh. It dates from 1634 and is held in the collection of the National Museum of Western Art.
About this work
Overview
Bartholomeus Breenbergh’s 1634 oil on canvas presents a seaside vista that merges a biblical episode with a tranquil harbor.
Bartholomeus Breenbergh’s 1634 oil on canvas presents a seaside vista that merges a biblical episode with a tranquil harbor. The composition balances a distant shoreline dotted with vessels and buildings against a foreground where a man on a donkey is halted by a winged figure wielding a sword. Muted tones dominate the sky and sea, while the scene is animated by a few figures and animals moving within the landscape.
Subject & Meaning
The narrative centers on the Old Testament story of Balaam and his donkey, a moment when an angel blocks the prophet’s path to convey divine warning. Breenbergh places this encounter within a coastal setting, suggesting a moral lesson that transcends the biblical landscape and invites contemplation of human folly and heavenly intervention amid everyday surroundings.
Technique & Style
The work exemplifies the Italianate influence that Breenbergh absorbed during his Roman period, employing chiaroscuro to model forms and create spatial depth. Visible brushwork and occasional impasto lend texture to foliage and architecture, while the restrained palette of earth tones and soft blues reinforces a calm atmosphere. The careful rendering of light on water and clouded sky demonstrates the artist’s skill in integrating natural observation with narrative detail.
History & Provenance
Created after Breenbergh’s return to the Dutch Republic, the painting reflects his mature synthesis of northern landscape tradition and southern classicism. It entered the collection of the National Museum of Western Art, where it remains on display, offering insight into the cross‑cultural artistic exchanges that characterized the Dutch Golden Age.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Bartholomeus Breenbergh (before 13 November 1598 – after 3 October 1657) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of Italian and Italianate landscapes, in Rome (1619-1630) and Amsterdam (1630-1657).
Dutch ship in an exotic port
Mountainous seashore
Italienische Abendlandschaft
Seegestade mit Hl. Christophorus
A River Landscape
Rheinlandschaft mit Landungsplatz
Dutch ships in a foreign port
River view in a mountainous region
A Seaport at Sunset
Rheinlandschaft
Oraș la mare ; pandant: Furtună pe mare lângă oraș
Coastal Landscape