Old Testament. After the prophet Samuel anointed David as King Saul's successor, Saul became jealous and plotted David's death. David's loyal friend Jonathan (Saul's son) is preparing to shoot three arrows as a warning to David who is hiding in a field. Jonathan's pose is directly derived from Michelangelo's 'David'.

Jonathan’s Token to David, c. 1868

Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton of Strettonexpand_more

Oil on canvasexpand_more

The John R. Van Derlip Fundexpand_more  74.71

Not on Viewexpand_more

This painting illustrates a scene from the Old Testament. After the prophet Samuel anointed David as King Saul's successor, Saul became jealous and plotted David's death. Here the artist shows David's loyal friend Jonathan (Saul's son) preparing to shoot three arrows as a warning to David who is hiding in a field.

Most artists who interpreted the story of Jonathan and David's friendship depicted the emotional climax when the two say their final farewells. Leighton chose an earlier scene in order to celebrate the ideal of heroic male beauty. Jonathan's pose derives from the famous Renaissance sculpture of David by Michelangelo.

file_downloadprintshare
arrow_back back
Explore

Audio

Frederick, Lord Leighton, Jonathan's Token to David (#724)
Details
Title
Jonathan’s Token to David
Artist Life
1830 - 1896
Role
Artist
Accession Number
74.71
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know

800px

Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.

Old Testament. After the prophet Samuel anointed David as King Saul's successor, Saul became jealous and plotted David's death. David's loyal friend Jonathan (Saul's son) is preparing to shoot three arrows as a warning to David who is hiding in a field. Jonathan's pose is directly derived from Michelangelo's 'David'.

Error loading high resolution image. Report this problem.