The Consecration of David

The Consecration of David, King of Israel
Amiens, 1501
Paint on wood
H. 1.94 m ; W. 1.11 m
Amiens Cathedral
Du Sommerard Fund
Cl. 822

The evocation of King David's consecration is placed parallel to another panel with the consecration of Louis XII, king of France, which took place in Reims on 27 May 1498. These two paintings originally formed the screens of a retable whose central panel has since disappeared. According to ancient description, the back of the panel showed a Virgin of mercy and the arms of Jean le Caron of Bouillencourt, tax collector and sponsor of the painting in 1501 for the fraternity in Puy d'Amiens. This fraternity's paintings, dedicated to celebrating the Virgin, appeared annually to embellish the interior decor of Amiens Cathedral, before tastes changed in the 17th century, decimating these examples of local art.