Arthur Boyd’s original lithograph, ‘Untitled (Nebuchadnezzar on Fire)’, tells the Old Testament tale of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. An allegory against the vanity of hubris, Nebuchadnezzar believed that his kingdom was greater than God’s. In punishment, he was rendered mad and condemned to the wilderness, naked and afraid, until he recognised God’s power.

Boyd began creating works about Nebuchadnezzar in the late 1960s while he was living in London. Protests against the Vietnam War surrounded him, including a tragic self-immolation near his home in Hampstead Heath. Echoing the political climate, Boyd’s Nebuchadnezzar is too engulfed in flames. “He wanted to possess everything… he wanted to possess people, possess animals… he wanted to be them,” Boyd reflected on the King.

At its core, the tale of Nebuchadnezzar is about both the dangers of desiring power and the human potential for redemption. From his inferno, Nebuchadnezzar was saved. Between 1968 and 1972, Boyd voraciously created Nebuchadnezar works, rendering it among his most significant series. 

Represented at the National Gallery of Australia, this museum-quality work is an enthralling find for collectors of Boyd and modernist art.

Arthur BOYD (1920 - 1999)
'Untitled (Nebuchadnezzar on Fire)'
lithograph on paper (printed in colour inks from multiple stones)
Edition of 25
Image Size: 25 x 20 cm
Dimensions: 46 x 39 x 2 cm
Signed: Signed and editioned on margin: Arthur Boyd / 10/25
  
An impression of this work under a different titled, (Figure, blowing head and flaming head), is represented at the National Gallery of Australia, Accession Number: 75.3.1300.
 
The drawing upon which this work is based is represented at the National Gallery of Australia, Accession Number: 75.3.2546.
 
Condition: Very Good
 
(c) Arthur Boyd / Copyright Agency