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David

Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen

Original file
PrintCC0 1.0

David

Aegidius Sadeler

1577
paper
height 122 mm x width 84 mm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

About This Work

King David is portrayed as a majestic figure with a flowing beard, wearing a crown and heavy robes. He holds a classically styled lyre, representing his role as the divinely inspired author of the Psalms. In the background, a hilly landscape features a walled city with a prominent dome, signifying Jerusalem.

David represents the intersection of divine prophecy and the Neoplatonic concept of cosmic harmony. Within the Western esoteric tradition, his music was often compared to the Orphic hymns, seen as a tool for aligning the human soul with the 'musica mundana' or the harmony of the spheres.

Davidlyrecrown71I12148C75231A231

Inscriptions

DAVID.
DAVID

Connected Texts

Marsilio Ficino

Ficino's Neoplatonic philosophy of music often linked Davidic psalmody to the therapeutic and spiritual power of Orphic song.

Book of Psalms

The primary text attributed to David, serving as the source for his iconography as the sacred musician.

Provenance & Source

Object

Holding Institution

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Medium

paper

Dimensions

height 122 mm x width 84 mm

GenreAI

religious

Digital Source

Source

Rijksmuseum · CC0 1.0

Original Resolution

2785 × 4096 px

Harvested

March 25, 2026

Linked Data

AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.

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