Plate with the Presentation of David to Saul
Unknown Artist
629–630
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
Overall: 10 11/16 x 1 9/16 in., 49.3oz. (27.2 x 4 cm, 1397g) foot: 4 5/8 x 9/16 in. (11.8 x 1.4 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Silver
Culture
Byzantine
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.190.397
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold this exquisite silver plate, *Plate with the Presentation of David to Saul*, crafted by an unknown Byzantine artist around 629–630 CE. about 10½ inches in diameter and weighing nearly three pounds, this luxurious metalwork depicts a pivotal biblical scene from the First Book of Samuel: the young musician David being presented to King Saul, torment is soothed by David's harp-playing. Rendered with finely chased figures of kings and attendants, the plate captures the drama of divine favor and royal intrigue in a style typical of early Byzantine art—elegant, narrative-driven, and infused w...