D'après Hugo van der Goes XVIIIe siècle L'histoire de David...

D'après Hugo van der Goes, XVIIIe siècle
L'histoire de David et Abigaïl

After Hugo van der Goes, 18th Century
The Story of David and Abigail
oil on canvas, with gold highlights
in a remarkable neo-Renaissance frame
151 x 242cm (59 7/16 x 95 1/4in).
Provenance:
Private Collection, France, where acquired by the present owner in 2019

This composition derives from a lost prototype by Hugo van der Goes, of which several copies are known. One can be found in the Royal Museums of Fine Art, Brussels (inv. no. 142 174 B), and another one was offered at Christie's, London, on the 7 May 2013, lot 42. Several episodes of the story of David and Abigail (1 Sam. 25, 26-42) are illustrated in which Nabal refuses food to David and expels him. Here we see Nabal's wife, Abigail, meeting with David to offer him food and drink.