David Playing the Harp Before Saul

Prints and Drawings

c. 1508

Lucas van Leyden
Netherlandish, c. 1494-1533

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 in one fist and arching his right foot over his left. David’s pleasing performances would eventually lead to him succeeding Saul as the king of Israel.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Prints and Drawings

Artist: Lucas van Leyden
Title: David Playing the Harp Before Saul
Place: Netherlands (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.: 1503–1513
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.)
Credit Line: Elizabeth Hammond Stickney Collection
Reference Number: 1887.344
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/138156/manifest.json

Volbehr 26

Hollstein 27 I/III

Bartsch 27

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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.

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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.

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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.