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King David in Prayer in an Initial B

ca. 1450
Not on view
The initial B introduces Psalm 1: B[eatus vir qui non abiit in consilio impiorum et in via peccatorum non] stetit et in c[athedra pestilentiae non sedit] ("Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers").
King David kneels in prayer, his eyes raised toward a vision of the hand of God, blessing him from the heavens; nearby are his crown and psaltery, a stringed instrument. In the upper and lower left corners are the cropped figures of two Benedictine monks. This initial was removed from a now-lost psalter (a book of psalms) produced for the monks of the Benedictine abbey of Florence, the Badia Fiorentina. The volume was decorated by the Florentine painter and illuminator Strozzi, a follower and assistant of Fra Angelico.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: King David in Prayer in an Initial B
  • Artist: Zanobi Strozzi (Italian, Florence 1412–1468 Florence)
  • Date: ca. 1450
  • Medium: Tempera on parchment
  • Dimensions: 5 5/8 x 5 3/8 in. (14.2 x 13.5cm)
    Initial Ground: 4 13/16 x 4 13/16 in.
  • Classification: Manuscripts and Illuminations
  • Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
    1975.1.2470
  • Object Number: 1975.1.2470
  • Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection

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