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King David Receiving the Cistern Water of Bethlehem

A work made of oil on panel, transferred to canvas.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of oil on panel, transferred to canvas.

Date:

1515–20

Artist:

Antwerp Mannerist (Master of the Antwerp Adoration group)
Netherlandish

About this artwork

This scene and that of King Solomon Receiving the Queen of Sheba are particularly fine examples of the decorative style practiced in Antwerp by a group of largely anonymous artists now dubbed Antwerp Mannerists. The paintings originally formed the interior of the wings of a folding triptych with the Adoration of the Magi as its center. Both show gifts being presented to a ruler on his throne and would have been understood as Old Testament prefigurations of the submission of the nations to Christ as king, the theme of the lost Adoration panel. They also provided an excuse for the artist to depict exotic costumes, architecture, and luxury goods— the hallmarks of the Antwerp Mannerist style.

Status

On View, Gallery 207

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Antwerp Mannerist

Title

King David Receiving the Cistern Water of Bethlehem

Place

Belgium (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1505–1525

Medium

Oil on panel, transferred to canvas

Dimensions

73.5 × 27.5 cm (28 7/8 × 10 7/8 in.); Image: 72.7 × 26.8 cm (28 5/8 × 10 9/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. Charles L. Hutchinson

Reference Number

1936.127

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/111671/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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