David Playing the Harp Before Saul
c. 1508
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 25.3 × 18.3 cm (10 × 7 1/4 in.); Sheet, trimmed within platemark: 25.4 × 18.4 cm (10 × 7 1/4 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
138156
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
According to the Book of Samuel, an “evil spirit from the Lord” plagued King Saul, making him agitated and fearful of persecution. Because music was thought to have a therapeutic effect, the king summoned the hero and warrior David, who was renowned for his skill with the harp. In this scene of intense psychological drama, David tries to soothe the troubled king. Lucas van Leyden reveals Saul’s fragile mental state by portraying him sitting stiffly hunched in a chair, tightly clenching a spear i...
About the Artist
Lucas van Leyden · 1484–1533
Lucas van Leyden (1494–1533) was a Dutch painter and printmaker who stands among the greatest engravers of the Northern Renaissance. Born in Leiden as either Lucas Hugensz or Lucas Jacobsz, he lived and worked primarily in his native city, achieving international renown that rivaled the German master Albrecht Dürer. Lucas van Leyden revolutionized Netherlandish printmaking and was among the first...