Leaf from a Book of Hours: King David (c. 1500): Art, History and Details

Leaf from a Book of Hours: King David (c. 1500) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Jean Bourdichon (French, c. 1457–1521).

The work and its context

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

The illuminator Jean Bourdichon was court painter to four successive kings of France: Louis XI, Charles VIII, Louis XII, and Francis I. On the basis of surviving documents, he seems to have been principally active between 1478 and 1520. The text is that of Psalm 50 beginning Miserere mei deus (Have mercy on me, O God), and one of the Seven Penitential Psalms found in medieval books of hours. It is the life of David, who according to tradition, was the author of the psalms, that dominates the miniatures for the Penitential Psalms. As a proud and powerful king who flagrantly committed both adultery and murder, David was struck down and reprimanded by God. The Penitential Psalms themselves, especially Psalm 50, are associated with his penance for these sins.

Object facts

• Title: Leaf from a Book of Hours: King David
• Date: c. 1500
• Creator attribution: Jean Bourdichon (French, c. 1457–1521)
• Culture: France
• Type: Manuscript
• Technique: ink, tempera, and gold on parchment
• Dimensions: Sheet: 27.5 x 20.2 cm (10 13/16 x 7 15/16 in.)
• Collection: MED - Manuscript Illuminations
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 1985.81

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

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.