Lucas CRANACH the Elder: David and Abigail - 1509
SOLD
Woodcut, 245 x 176 mm. Hollstein 3, Bartsch 122.
Very fine impression printed on watermarked laid paper (part of lily). The imprint of the woodblock is clearly visible on the reverse of the sheet.
A tiny brown stain and a few pale foxmarks; very light soiling in the centre of the plate, otherwise in excellent condition. Thread margins all around the platemark. Broken borderlines, often completed in ink, are intact on this impression.
Impressions of this print are very rare, as highlighted by the anonymous annotation on the reverse in graphite: außerordentlich selten [exceptionally rare!]
The scene represents the meeting between David and Abigail, wife of Nabal. By offering David some gifts, Abigail begs him to forgive the ingratitude of her husband who refused to thank him for having protected her lands and herds. After Nabal's death, David will marry Abigail.
The winged serpent engraved between Lucas Cranach's initials and the date 1509 is his signature. The electoral and ducal arms of Saxony hanging on the tree are a reminder that Cranach was in the service of Frederick III of Saxony and enjoyed his protection.