A tall winged figure holds out a long sword.
Bible in art · Numbers
The Angel Blocks Balaam's Way
Gustave Doré · 1866 (designs for La Sainte Bible, Tours); this printing 1873–1874
National Library of Poland, Warsaw
C. Laplante, whose name is at the bottom right, cut this night scene from Doré’s drawing. The light comes from a full moon breaking through the clouds and from the pale figure on the left.
A tall winged figure stands on a rise beside the road, holding out a long sword. Below, Balaam on his donkey turns toward the light, one hand raised, and his two servants walk behind, one pointing. Twisted roots and bushes line the path.
From the text
- The angel stood in the road “with a drawn sword in his hand” (Numbers 22:23)
- Balaam rode his donkey, and “his two servants were with him” (Numbers 22:22)
- When Balaam’s eyes were opened, he “bowed low and fell facedown” (Numbers 22:31)
The artist’s own
- A moonlit night — the text names no hour
- An open hillside instead of the narrow path between vineyard walls (Numbers 22:24)
- Balaam still riding, not yet bowing down
Details
The angel
Balaam and the donkey
Balaam turns on his donkey toward the light.
The servants
Two men follow; one points ahead.
The moon
A bright moon breaks through the clouds.
Gustave Doré, French, 1832–1883. National Library of Poland (Biblioteka Narodowa), Warsaw — «Pismo Święte Starego i Nowego Testamentu», vol. 1, Warsaw: M. Glücksberg, 1873 (acc. 75.267 A), tabl. 43 · Wood engraving after Gustave Doré’s design · National Library of Poland (Polona): the record of the volume gives the licence «Domena Publiczna» (Public Domain), «copyrightProtected»: false; the scan was uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by the library itself («Polona Upload», GLAM-Wiki partnership: “This file was uploaded to Wikimedia Commons as part of a GLAM-Wiki partnership between the National Library of Poland and Wikimedia Polska”), linking its Polona record.