Public domain
David in Prayer
From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
In his etchings Rembrandt often left something to the imagination. Here he shows a man kneeling on a cushion before a bed, sunk in prayer. His head is cast in shadow and therefore cannot be recognized; however, the harp lying in the foreground makes it clear that he is King David. What he is praying for is less evident: perhaps the salvation of the illegitimate son he fathered with Bathsheba.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own descriptionCredit lineDavid in Prayer. 1652. Rembrandt van Rijn. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.
