David and Bathsheba

The subject is taken from second Book of Samuel (11: 2-17). From the roof of his palace King David sees a beautiful woman bathing. This was Bathsheba, wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of David's generals. A messenger was sent, and she was brought before the King, who seduced her and made her pregnant. Her then inconvenient husband was despatched to the front line in battle, where he inevitably met his end, and David and Bathsheba were married. The child of their union, however, survived only a few days, and David subsequently did penance. Despite David's morally indefensible behaviour, the story was regarded by the medieval church as a typological prefiguration of Christ (David) and the Church (Bathsheba).

Here the artist depicts the moment when the messenger arrives. Accompanied by her attendants Bathsheba sits on a stone block and washes her feet. She seems to stretch out her hand to the messenger who approaches through the arch. One of her attendants holds a towel while the other two women appear as fashionably dressed spectators.

[cda 2023]