David and Bathsheba
c. 1545
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate/sheet: 7.9 × 9.6 cm (3 1/8 × 3 13/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
77477
Art Historical Context
In the Prints and Drawings department of the Institute of Chicago sits a delicate engraving titled *David and Bathshe*, created around 1545 by the German artist Hans Brosamer. This small-scale work (just 7.9 × 9.6 cm) captures a pivotal biblical scene from 2 Samuel 11, where King David gazes upon the bathing Bathsheba, igniting a tale of desire, power, and moral reckoning. Brosamer, a Frankfurt-based engraver active during the Northern Renaissance, drew inspiration from masters like Albrecht Dürer infusing his prints with intricate detail and emotional depth to make sacred stories accessible t...