David Playing before Saul
Medium
lithograph in black on wove paper
Dimensions
sheet: 20.48 × 14.61 cm (8 1/16 × 5 3/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection
Accession Number
2015.19.273
Art Historical Context
In the heart of Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze'sDavid Playing before Saul* (1853), a biblical scene unfolds from the Book of 1 Samuel. Here, the young shepherd David strums his harp to soothe the tormented King Saul, capturing a moment of divine intervention and human vulnerability. Leutze, the renowned German-American Romantic painter best known for epic history paintings like *Washington Crossing the Delaware*, brings his dramatic flair to this intimate narrative, emphasizing themes of music's healing power and the humble origins of Israel's future king. Rendered as a lithograph in black ink on wo...
About the Artist
Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze
American, Schwäbisch Gmünd 1816–1868 Washington, D.C.