David belet Abisaï om Saul te doden
c. 1650 - c. 1655
Medium
reed pen and brown ink, with opaque white (oxidized) and some areas scraped away
Dimensions
177; 260
About this artwork
rietpen en bruine inkt, met witte dekverf (geoxideerd) en sommige plekken weggeschraapt
Art Historical Context
This expressive drawing by Willem Drost captures a dramatic moment from the Old Testament. Created around 1650–1655, it depicts the young David restraining his companion Abishai from killing the sleeping King Saul, a scene emphasizing mercy and divine justice. Drost, a talented pupil in Rembrandt’s circle, worked during the height of the Dutch Golden Age, when biblical subjects were popular for exploring human emotion and moral themes. The artist used a reed pen with brown ink to create bold, fluid lines, adding touches of opaque white for highlights—now oxidized—and scraping away areas to re...
About the Artist
Willem Drost · 1633–1659
Dutch, late 17th or early 18th century