The Anointing of David
Artist
Unknown
CultureFlemish
Datelate 1500s
MediumWool and silk
DimensionsOverall: 136 x 114 in. (345.4 x 289.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Irene Leache Memorial Foundation, in memory of Sally G. Shepherd. Conserved with funds generously provided by the Camp Foundation, the Irene Leache Memorial, and by Virginia Shepherd Ferguson, Lemuel Cornick Shepherd, Wilson E. Driver Shepherd, Virginia Shepherd Ord, and Edith Brooke Robertson
Object number2014.3.18
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 202
Label TextFlemish, late 16th century The Anointing of David Wool and silk tapestry Gift of the Irene Leache Memorial Foundation, in memory of Sally G. Shepherd. Conserved with funds generously provided by the Camp Foundation, the Irene Leache Memorial, and by Virginia Shepherd Ferguson, Lemuel Cornick Shepherd, Wilson E. Driver Shepherd, Virginia Shepherd Ord, and Edith Brooke Robertson 2014.3.18 Following the dictates of the Catholic Church, medieval artists often viewed the stories of the Old Testament as less significant than those found in the New, presenting early heroes such as David mainly as prefigurations of more important New Testament figures. But by the 16th century, artists had begun to treat Old Testament stories more fully and for their own sake, as seen in the tapestry here. Woven in Antwerp around 1580, the tapestry belonged to a suite depicting scenes from David's life. It illustrates the dramatic moment when the prophet Samuel anoints David with his horn of oil and "in the midst of his brethren; and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward" (I Samuel 16:13). The crucial event establishes David's future role as king of the Israelites. The surrounding landscape contains related scenes from the same story. At the upper right, for example, Samuel is instructed by an angel to seek out David, and at left, David is called from the fields to appear before the prophet.ProvenanceGift of the Irene Leache Memorial Foundation to the Chrysler Museum of Art, March 2014.Published ReferencesVIRGINIA PILOT, 3/26/50.
1100-1460
