Cornelis de Baellieur the Elder - The Meeting of David and Abigail

Cornelis de Baellieur the Elder

The Meeting of David and Abigail

Oil on copper. 67 x 84 cm.
Monogrammed lower left: C.D.B..

Cornelis de Baellieur the Elder was active in Antwerp in the 17th century. His works rarely appear on the market. His oeuvre mainly comprises small format paintings, and thus these two copper panels are unusual for their size, but also their compositional complexity and the monograms that allow them to be securely attributed to this artist.

Baellieur learnt to paint under Anton Lisart and was soon accepted in the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke. One of his most well-known works is “Christ and the Adulteress” housed in the Herzog Anton-Ulrich-Museum in Brunswick.
The present work is a densely populated depiction of the meeting of David and Abigail as she attempts to placate the King with gifts following her husband's misdemeanour. Her honourable conduct and eloquence turned the tides of destiny and deterred the king from carrying out his vengeful plan.

Certificate

Walther Bernt, Munich 1979 (available as a copy).

Provenance

North German private collection.