David in Prayer, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1652
etching, h 144mm × w 95mm More details
In his etchings Rembrandt often left something to the imagination. Here he shows a man kneeling on a cushion before a bed, sunk in prayer. His head is cast in shadow and therefore cannot be recognized; however, the harp lying in the foreground makes it clear that he is King David. What he is praying for is less evident: perhaps the salvation of the illegitimate son he fathered with Bathsheba.
