David: "Oh, that I had wings like a Dove! For then would I fly away, and be at rest." Psalm 55:6 (1865): Art, History and Details

David: "Oh, that I had wings like a Dove! For then would I fly away, and be at rest." Psalm 55:6 (1865) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Frederic Leighton (British, 1830–1896).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

From the many events in the turbulent life of the biblical King David, Leighton chose to depict his moment of gravest doubt. Having just learned of the death of his rebellious son Absalom at the hands of his own army, David has withdrawn to a chamber above the city gate. Casting aside his crown, which lies on the floor, the ruler muses on the conflicting demands of family and nation.

Object facts

• Title: David: "Oh, that I had wings like a Dove! For then would I fly away, and be at rest." Psalm 55:6
• Date: 1865
• Creator attribution: Frederic Leighton (British, 1830–1896)
• Culture: England, 19th century
• Type: Painting
• Technique: oil on fabric
• Dimensions: Framed: 125 x 152.4 x 4.5 cm (49 3/16 x 60 x 1 3/4 in.); Unframed: 96.5 x 122.5 cm (38 x 48 1/4 in.)
• Collection: Mod Euro - Painting 1800-1960
• Department: Modern European Painting and Sculpture
• Accession number: 1986.74

Collection credit

Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Turner, Evan H. “The Year in Review for 1986.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 2 (February 1987): 38–79.
• Cleveland Museum of Art, “Recent Acquisition in Focus: Lord Leighton’s King David, October 21 – November 29, 1987” October 8, 1987, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.
• Argencourt, Louise d', and Roger Diederen. Catalogue of Paintings. Pt. 4. European Paintings of the 19th Century. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1974.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.