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AUCTION 52: A NEW YORK AUCTION ART FALL SALE
Lot 124:
A wooden decorative panel in high relief depicts the biblical scene of Balaam and the donkey. The piece is carved in great detail showing Balaam on the back of his donkey at the moment that angel reveals themself to Balaam and the donkey admonishes him. The artist depicted them within a pastoral landscape and shows the additional details of a wicker fence and stone walls, with a small arch at the lower left. There is an old collector’s mark on the verso of the piece.
The story of Balaam and the donkey is one of the most recognizable Old Testament stories. The sorcerer/prophet Balaam was on his way to meet with King Balak of the Moabites as he had promised a large sum of money to Balaam if he would curse the Israelites who were following Moses in the desert. God had commanded him not to go once before, but the second time God gave Balaam permission to go as long as he only did what God commanded him to.
Along the way, Balaam’s donkey refused to go on three times, as it had seen an Angel of the Lord brandishing a sword in the middle of the road. Each time the donkey refused to go on it was Beaten by Balaam who did not see the Angel. After the third time, the donkey was given the power to say to him "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?" to which Balaam, astonished, argued with the beast. Then the Angel revealed itself to Balaam and commanded him to only say what God tells him to say. Balaam went on to bless the Israelites 4 times instead of cursing them as Balak had requested. Despite this Balaam later enticed many of the Israelites to worship idols and was later put to death during a war with Midian.
Europe, 18th century.
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Dimensions: 4 1/2 x 10 1/4 in., (11.4 x 26 cm.)
Condition: Paint mostly present, faded and worn in some places. Some past woodworm damage in places. Sculptures structurally sound.
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