David and King Saul, based on an engraving by Lucas van Leyden

School of the Northern Netherlands, David and King Saul, after an engraving by Lucas van Leyden (Leiden, c. 1494–1533)

Oil on panel

Dimensions: 28.8 x 22.3 cm

Northern Netherlands, 16th century

The scene depicts an episode from the Old Testament (First Book of Samuel) in which David confronts King Saul. After defeating the Philistine giant Goliath, the young shepherd is elevated to the rank of commander of Saul's armies. The king is quickly overcome with jealousy and tormented by anxiety. David, a prodigious harpist, is called upon by God to appease Saul. It is precisely this moment that Lucas van Leyden's engraving depicts: Saul, clouded by jealousy, listens to David play. Subsequently, the king intends to take the young shepherd's life, a threat already suggested by the engraver, who places a spear aimed at David in Saul's hands.

The scene unfolds in a space that is only suggested, characterised by a dark and uncluttered background, where Saul's throne appears as the only clearly identifiable element. In the foreground, the king sits, slightly bent over, in an attitude of weariness and melancholy. He wears a rich pink coat lined with fur and an oriental headdress, a sign of his royal status. In his hand, he holds a spear pointed at the harp player. His sombre and pensive gaze reflects his inner turmoil. He stares intently at the viewer, inviting them to take part in the scene and drawing them into the painting.

To his left, David, a calm young man with a gentle face, is the musician playing the harp. Between the king and the shepherd are two figures engaged in conversation, one dressed in red, the other wearing a blue hood.

Our panel faithfully reproduces the composition imagined by Lucas van Leyden, an engraved copy of which is now kept at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (see illustration). A major painter and engraver of the early 16th century, Lucas van Leyden was trained by Huygh Jacobsz. In 1521, he met Albrecht Dürer in Antwerp, where the two artists exchanged engravings; Lucas's early works show a clear influence from Dürer's art. The strength of Lucas van Leyden's prints lies in their ability to condense a narrative into a clear and immediately recognisable image. A keen and rigorous observer, Van Leyden profoundly renewed the representation of emblematic subjects, while making a decisive contribution to the development and enrichment of secular engraving. The engraving that served as a model for this painting is generally dated around 1508. One of the major works from the early part of the artist's career, it is distinguished by his already remarkable mastery of the burin. The drapery is supple and animated, while the meticulous treatment of details, particularly the hair and fur, shows great delicacy. This finesse of execution has been faithfully transposed into our oil on panel.