David Playing the Harp before Saul

Description

The soothing effect of David’s music upon the melancholic King Saul, as relayed in the Old Testament and depicted here by Frans Floris, is the earliest visual evidence of the therapeutic use of music. Floris’s woodcut would have had contemporary relevance in its affirmation of Martin Luther’s belief that music-a divine power that creates order—had been made by God to combat the destructive power of evil.

Provenance

Pierre Mariette, Paris (Lugt 1790), inscribed P. Mariette 1668; King Friedrich August II, Dresden (Lugt 971); Pierre Mariette, Paris (Lugt 1790), inscribed P. Mariette 1668; King Friedrich August II, Dresden (Lugt 971)

David Playing the Harp before Saul

Frans Floris

1555

Accession Number

1997.189

Medium

chiaroscuro woodcut

Dimensions

Sheet: 33.4 x 47.9 cm (13 1/8 x 18 7/8 in.)

Classification

Print

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund