Getty Museum
Border with Michal Helping David to Escape from Saul
Creator
Simon BeningFlemish Illuminator · 1483–1561
All works by this person →One of the most celebrated painters of Flanders in the 1500s, Simon Bening was hailed by Portuguese art critic Francisco da Hollanda as the greatest master of illumination in all of Europe. In addition to producing books for powerful aristocrats such as Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg, Bening worked for a group of international royal patrons including Emperor Charles V and Don Fernando, the Infan
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- about 1525–1530
- Medium
- Tempera colors, gold paint, and gold leaf
- Culture
- Flemish
- Department
- Manuscripts
- Institution
- Getty Museum
In the lower right corner, David's wife Michal lowers him out of a castle window as her father approaches the main gate with his army. Michal had fallen in love with the young David, her father Saul's sworn enemy, and her father consequently tried to have David killed. Her cunning plan for David's escape saved his life. Christians saw a parallel between this Old Testament story and Joseph, Mary, and Jesus's Flight into Egypt, seen on the facing page.
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