Samuel Anointing the Young David (?)

Art Historical Context

In the hushed galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of, Jan Erasmus Quellinus'sSamuel Anointing the Young* (?) captivates with its dramatic biblical scene from the Old Testament. Likely depicting the prophet Samuel anointing the shepherd boy David as Israel's future king (1 Samuel16), the drawing teems with life: a crowd of men, women, and animals gathers in a moment of divine prophecy and destiny. Quellinus, a 17th-century Flemish artist from the illustrious Antwerp workshop tied to Peter Paul Rubens, infused his works with the exuberant energy of the Baroque style—dynamic compositions and emotional intensity that mirrored the era's Catholic Counter-Reformation fervor. Crafted with masterful technique, this preparatory drawing employs point of brush in gray and gray-black wash, heightened with white over faint black chalk underdrawing. At 11 1/16 x 22 1/2 inches, the panoramic format allows Quellinus to orchestrate light and shadow, creating volume and depth that foreshadow a grand painting or sculpture. Such washes, popular among Flemish draftsmen, enabled rapid yet nuanced modeling, bridging sketch and finished work. Acquired through The Elisha Whittelsey Fund in 1953, this unsigned sheet (n.d.) exemplifies Quellinus's skill in figure groups, blending narrative storytelling with technical virtuosity. It invites visitors to ponder themes of humility and divine favor, a timeless motif in Western art.