Initial Q: David Before Saul

Getty Museum

Initial Q: David Before Saul

Creator

Master of the Ingeborg Psalter

French Illuminator · 1195–1210

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Scholars named the Master of the Ingeborg Psalter for a manuscript of the psalms he illuminated, together with another painter, for Queen Ingeborg of France. In the years around 1200, he was active in northeastern France. The style of the Master of the Ingeborg Psalter represents a turning point in the history of European painting, when artists left behind abstract and highly stylized forms in fav

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Date: after 1205
Medium: Tempera colors and gold leaf
Culture: French
Department: Manuscripts
Institution: Getty Museum

Jealous of David's popularity at court following his defeat of Goliath, King Saul draws his sword against the young David. In the face of this danger, the boy flees with his harp. This scene illustrates the opening phrase of the following text, Psalm 51: "Why do you glory in malice, you who are mighty in iniquity?" The illuminator portrayed Saul's evil intentions through the demon that grasps Saul's cloak with one hand while pointing to the fleeing David with the other.

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