This painting is entitled “Les Tresors do Satan” or “The Treasures of Satan” in English. This piece was painted by Jean Delville (1867-1953) who was a Belgian symbolist painter, author, poet, polemicist, teacher, and Theosophist. This painting was composed in 1895 and currently resides in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts located in Brussels, Belgium. This piece is an oil painting, meaning that it is simply oil on canvas and was painted using linseed oil and walnut oil.
Meaning
Delville’s painting is a wondrous work of magic, mystery, and majesty and produces a key scene of religious symbolism through all of its elements. The piece is rich in hues, textures, values, and forms that all come together to create strong unity, variety, balance, rhythm, movement, and emphasis.
The evident contrast between the various forms of life is what truly brings out the mystique like atmosphere and Delville’s use of oil paint as a medium produces several artistic elements that make for a grand and unique composition. With this piece, you will continue to notice new things every time you look at it due to its sheer complexity. This painting is the definition of “more is more”, and its composition stands out as a whole because of this.
Historical Context
When we look to the modern age, this painting has become popularized through its appearance on the 1991 album Blessed are the Sick by pioneering death metal band Morbid Angel. The album is the way in which many people became familiar with this painting, myself included.
Morbid Angel revived this painting and ultimately brought it into a new light. The album cover appeared in record shops, on posters outside concert venues, and very consistently on MTV. Therefore, taking a painting that was once shrouded in mystery and the unknown, and essentially made it visible all over the world.