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Landscape with David at the Cave of Adullam

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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King David and his companions emerge from the cave of Adullam. They cannot enter the city of Bethlehem and the valley below as the Philistines, whose pitched tents are just visible in the bottom left corner, occupy both. Nevertheless, three of the King’s soldiers have bravely ventured out to fulfil his wish for a drink of water, and they have returned to offer it to him. The King raises his hands, refusing to drink. He is ashamed at having risked their lives and offers the water instead to God. This scene closely follows the account in the Old Testament book of Samuel, which was rarely painted during the seventeenth century. The composition, with its foreground activity framed by a tree and cave, leading to a hazy evening sky, is typical of Claude’s idealised landscapes.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Landscape with David at the Cave of Adullam

Date

1658

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 111.4 x W 186.5 cm

Accession number

NG6

Acquisition method

Holwell Carr Bequest, 1831

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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